Waimate’s silo art
Painted grain silos have become a bit of a thing across Australia, but here in NZ they’re unique.
These ones tell local stories. Each mural honours someone with a strong connection to the district - people who helped shape the place, and who are now part of its history.
Towering over town, you’ll find information boards and a walkway at their base - you’re welcome spend time taking them all in.
Silo history
Built by hand in 1920, these silos and were the first of their kind in the country. Grain silos of this height - 36m - and design are unusual, and possibly unique in New Zealand.
The silos were the brainchild of Robert Nicol, who who emigrated from Scotland to Dunedin in the 1870s, opened a flour mill at Naseby, and then moved to Waimate where he set up a flour mill in 1891. He learned about the Canadian technique of storing grain in silos; and when he wanted to expand production of the flour mill, he persuaded local farmers to invest in a company to build the silos for extra wheat storage.
They were opened by Prime Minister Bill Massey on February 12, 1921. Gas engines powered the plant using Waihao Forks coal.
Unfortunately the grain did not keep well. It’s believed that inexperience led to the silos being used too soon. The solid concrete base, almost two metres thick, would have taken up to two years to dry completely. The venture was deemed a failure and the buildings and land were sold at a loss. The silos were abandoned, but resurrected for use in the 1960s
