New Zealand - Nelson - New Power house in Nelson - 1920’s - F N Jones Photo - Photo Postcard Format #t608 Nelson - Electricity - The first public supply of electricity in Nelson commenced in 1923 from the Power House on Wakefield Quay - a steam power generation station. - This supplied the city at 3,300 volts. - The supply from Power House continued as the only public supply until 1944, when the Cobb Hydro Station was commissioned; supplying the whole Top of the South region, and the Nelson city area was slowly converted to the 11kV network. - The Power House continued to operate until 1964 at which stage the last of the 3,300 volt supply was banished from the city. - Since then transmission lines have been erected to link the Top of the South with the hydro generation in the lower South Island. (Reference: read more at http://www.nel.co.nz/about-us/) Nelson Facts & Figures - In 2013 there were 5,622 businesses with 24,940 employees in Nelson and 6,446 businesses with 18,950 employees in Tasman. - The main industries providing employment in Nelson were healthcare and social assistance, retail trade and manufacturing. - Nelson’s population increased by 8 percent between 2006 and 2013 and Tasman’s population increased 6 percent. - The total population for New Zealand also increased by 5 percent over the same period. - By 2031, Nelson’s population is projected to be 51,200 and Tasman’s will be 53,900. Reference: Read more at http://www.nelson.govt.nz/services/community/business-2/facts-and-figures/ Nelson - Settlement of Nelson began about 700 years ago by Māori. - There is evidence the earliest settlements in New Zealand are around the Nelson-Marlborough regions. - The earliest recorded iwi in the Nelson district are the Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri, Ngāti Apa and Rangitāne tribes. - Raids from northern tribes in the 1820s, led by Te Rauparaha and his Ngāti Toa, soon decimated the local population and quickly displaced them. Reference: Wikipedia Video: Sunshine Province (1938) 1938 National Film Unit promotional piece on the Sunshine Province, Nelson. Produced by the Motion Picture Studios of the Government Tourist and Publicity Department. This short films looks at the Nelson Region's people, beaches, and produce. New Zealand National Pictures Archives New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J3cmV-IRJU