page_title: Hamilton, New Zealand
section_title: Gas
hierarchical_section_title: Hamilton, New Zealand / Utilities / Gas
caption_attribution_description: English: Pembroke Rd, Pembroke La, Thackeray St, Tristram St in background
context_page_description: Hamilton is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region, with a territorial population of 169,300, the country's fourth most-populous city. Encompassing a land area of about 110 km² on the banks of the Waikato River, Hamilton is part of the wider Hamilton Urban Area, which also encompasses the nearby towns of Ngāruawāhia, Te Awamutu and Cambridge.
  The area now covered by the city was originally the site of several Māori villages, including Kirikiriroa, from which the city takes its Māori name. By the time English settlers arrived, most of these villages, which sat beside the Waikato River, were abandoned as a result of the Invasion of Waikato and land-confiscation by the Crown.
  Initially an agricultural service centre, Hamilton now has a diverse economy and is the third fastest growing urban area in New Zealand, behind Pukekohe and Auckland. Hamilton Gardens is the region's most popular tourist attraction. Education and research and development play an important part in Hamilton's economy, as the city is home to approximately 40,000 tertiary students and 1,000 PhD-qualified scientists.
context_section_description: Auckland Gas Company had been set up in 1862, but it wasn't until the Hamilton Gasworks Act 1895 that Henry Atkinson (son of the manager of Auckland gasworks) was allowed to set up a gasworks in Clarence St on allotment 322 (see photo of the ) and put gas pipes under the streets. Work started on laying about 50 tons of pipes in July 1895. 
   It also allowed the city to purchase after 12 years at a price determined by arbitration. A 1907 referendum authorised the city council to take over the gasworks. In 1911 the Privy Council set the purchase price at ₤34,402/14/3d ($5.7m at 2017 prices), half of which was for goodwill.
  A 100,000 cubic feet (2,800 m³) gasholder was authorised in 1911. In 1913 the works was expanded and mains laid over the railway bridge into Hamilton East and along Ohaupo Rd.
  As well as gas, coke, tar and tar paint were produced. Additions were made to the works as late as 1961. Waikato coal was mixed with coal shipped via Greymouth and Raglan from 1964 until 25 March 1970, when Hamilton switched to natural gas and the gasworks closed. The site was cleaned up after demolition in the 1990s, but is still monitored by Regional Council for contamination.
  Hamilton was one of the original nine towns and cities in the North Island to be supplied with natural gas when the Kapuni gas field enters production in 1970. Gas from the Kapuni field in south Taranaki was transported north via a 373 km long, 200 mm diameter pipeline to Papakura in south Auckland, with Hamilton supplied via an offtake at Temple View.
caption: Clarence St gasworks in 1967 with Pembroke Rd, Pembroke La, Thackeray St, Tristram St in background – Hamilton, including city buildings.
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