Unusually in Northland, today’s Dargaville started life as a privately owned town. When Irish businessman, Joseph McMullen Dargaville, realised the potential of the kauri and gum trade he first set up a trading station a few kilometres up the Kaihu River.
But in 1871 he paid £171 to local Maori chiefs represented by Te Awha Parore, Pirika and Te Rore for a strategically placed 171 acres of land where Kaihu River meets the Northern Wairoa River. It became freehold in 1872.Known as the Tunatahi Block it seemed to be mostly worthless swamp.
But Northern Wairoa district held the biggest area of kauri trees in the north, the timber trade grew and Dargaville town prospered with it. And as the trees were being cut down, all the timber milled and exported, the kauri gum digging trade became important for the river town. Hundreds of men arrived to work on the gum fields, including large numbers of Dalmatians who often stayed to become permanent settlers. Many of their descendants still live in the area.
A man who was to become a temporary Prime Minister, Cabinet Minister and Mayor of Auckland, Sir Edwin Mitchelson, was employed as manager for Joseph Dargaville and eventually bought the business. At first Joseph Dargaville held all the land on leasehold and it is considered that it held back the advancement of his town for many years.
Although some towns were doing badly in the early 1890-decade, Dargaville with its gum and timber trade was prospering. But there have been bad times and good times as experienced everywhere in New Zealand. A community lifesaver came when a dairy company was started in1902 to support the steadily growing cowherds along the fertile river flats and hills. Dargaville became a Borough in 1908.
Progress was made in the 1920’s with the erection of major buildings such as the Municipal Swimming Baths, gasworks, Municipal Buildings, Northern Wairoa River Bridge and just a few years earlier water reticulation came and the Post Office and clock tower were built.
A 1930’s world-wide depression took its toll as it did everywhere, but modern Dargaville has bounced back to life. Now the ‘kumara capital’ of New Zealand, the many acres of market gardens has become another important industry alongside dairying and together with the meat works, it makes another valuable addition to the economy.
And with playgrounds of lakes, harbour, ocean beach and forest it is an outdoor person’s paradise so that busy days of hosting tourists in the Northern Wairoa have arrived. The future looks really bright.
contributor: Brian Eastwood