Karori Water Supply Dams and Reservoirs Register Report - ipenz

Social narrative
Dams were constructed in New Zealand from early in the history of earnest European
settlement. There were a number of uses in the early period for this type of human
intervention to control water, such as in gold extraction or providing water supplies for
the populous. These, usually small, structures were prolific, numbering in the
thousands nationally. It was not until the early 20 th century that the public
infrastructure functions of dams expanded to include large scale structures for hydro-
electric power generation. These became possible because of technological
developments and greater understanding of how concrete could be utilised, which in
New Zealand began with structures like the Upper Karori Dam. 55
As a basic societal necessity, pressures on the existing early water supply grew as
the population of New Zealand did. Rapid growth in urban centres in the mid to late
19 th century meant that springs and wells were soon unable to meet the needs of the
population, which caused public health and safety problems. Therefore, water supply
55 Offer, 1997, pp.13, 16
Figure 3: Water testing at
Karori reservoir, Wellington,
ca 3 December 1952. ATL,
ID: PACOll-6203-06
IPENZ Engineering Heritage Report 16
Karori Water Supply Dams and Reservoirs