Palmerston North Electric Power Station

A big chunk of Palmerston North’s history as a city, in literal terms and historical.

The power station, designed by architect Joseph McClatchie Dawson, fired up for the first time in 1924, bringing the young regional city into the electric age, the last New Zealand city to do so. But being last meant nothing to Palmerston North as they had the largest Power Station in the country, immediately bringing light and power to a growing number of homes and businesses. The functional yet classical concrete and brick building, is in architectural alignment with municipal facilities of it’s time throughout New Zealand and though not currently heritage listed, holds value to the community.

Perhaps the value lies in it’s scale, rather imposing as it is now seated somewhat alone in its setting, where it earlier would have been surrounded by other industrial premises, and possibly simply for recognition factor, being positioned on a ridge to the North of the city not far from State Highway Three.

Besides this building and a distinguished career, McClatchie Dawson also left in New Zealand the legacy of his firm King and Dawson, still trading today in Wellington, when he retired to England in 1948. Palmerston North firm Trevor Bros were the builders.

Sitting mostly dormant since the advent of the Cook Strait Cable forced retirement from the grid in 1965, the Power Station has now found a new vocation as a fledgling electricity museum,run by Palmerston North Electric Power Station Inc, (see their website) and supported by the Palmerston North City Council’s Statement of Significance,

“The Palmerston North Electric Power Station is a nationally rare, intact and working power station with fittings, which are rare internationally. The building is a local physical landmark and a symbol of the wish for early independence of the Palmerston North City Council from the national supply of electricity.”

Questions over earthquake stability have not yet been resolved, though it has withstood every quake since 1924 including a nearby Eketahuna one in 2014 and the larger Kaikoura quake in 2016. A sign on the door may say enter at your own risk, but there are a growing number of exhibits inside to persuade visitors to take the risk. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the attraction might be that the two functional 1,400 hp. British Polar K48M diesel engines dating from 1936 are still functional and can be brought to life by the flick of a switch. This doesn’t happen every day but it is still worth a visit.

Image Credit: Emiel Lammers van Toorenburg.