Jake Lacey/Lacey TV
The small West Coast town of Runanga could see a host of services scrapped under local council cost-cutting proposals.
A small West Coast community is in danger of losing its pool, post office, library and council service centre. Joanne Naish talks to the people of Runanga as they fight back. When Rose Green raised her family in Runanga more than 30 years ago, the town was teeming with children playing in the streets and money was flowing from the mines. Just north of Greymouth, Runanga was built and sustained by gold and coal miners going back to the 1800s. It is home to the historic Runanga Miner’s Hall and the stunning Coal Creek waterfall, and an impressive number of Kiwis rugby league stars adorn the fabled “wall of fame” at the Workingmen’s Club.