Abstract
The study of Southern New Zealand’s human/river relationship from 1890 to 1920 provides insight into the historical interactions between people and nature. Currents and coutnercurrents in the formal river discourse reveal important implications related to the role of ideas, knowledge, and mindsets in shaping environmental history. Colonial and modern mentalities greatly influenced the environmental history of Otago and Southland. Initially, the goldmining industry—backed by government policy—used rivers to carry away waste materials. A colonial discourse of unrestrained material progress allowed for an anthropocentric view of rivers as essentially a miner’s tool. River dredging for gold peaked in the early 1900s. The new technologies and a quarry economy mentality perpetuated wealth extraction. As the importance of agriculture eclipsed mining, irrigation and flooding became central issues. Combatting the degradation from mining and utilising rivers for various applications reimagined the interplay between rivers and modern society.