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1918 Flu epidemic stats for the West Coast.
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DescriptionI thought this might be interesting to see during our pandemic 102 years later.
In 1918 the West Coast had a slightly higher population than today, some smaller towns now were bigger back then, places like Reefton, Kumara etc
It would seem that the West Coast got off a bit more lightly than some parts of NZ with 138 deaths. In saying that, it would still be equivalent to 2 people dying per day over the duration of the 1918 pandemic which lasted for a bit over 2 months.Date of Photo1918Map[1] ContributorDaniel Lowe
In 1918 the West Coast had a slightly higher population than today, some smaller towns now were bigger back then, places like Reefton, Kumara etc
It would seem that the West Coast got off a bit more lightly than some parts of NZ with 138 deaths. In saying that, it would still be equivalent to 2 people dying per day over the duration of the 1918 pandemic which lasted for a bit over 2 months.Date of Photo1918Map[1] ContributorDaniel Lowe
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Location (city or town)West CoastEvent1918 Flu epidemic stats for the West Coast.
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Date Created18th April 2020CommentsAnn O'Neill My grandfather Michael McCormack was one person who died in Greymouth November 1918.
Rosemarie Searle How long did the flu last in New Zealand?
Marlene Coleman Rosemarie Searle my g-g-grandparents both died of the flu in Westport in 1917. I think there were a few waves of it.
Janet Monk Rosemarie Searle , I think it was about a year, more new zealanders died from this than died in the 4yrs of world war 1, do a google, quite interesting
Anthea Keenan Yes poor cold living conditions, flu, war times, early people went through tough times.. but found an article in newspaper from 2009 Hokitika Guardian too when Swine Flu was threatening...
Karlene Jane Batchelor Anthea Keenan my whole family got this, I'm sure, it nearly killed my father
I'd hate him to get this new one....
Geoff Guenole Kumara is always the best place to be or be from
Hamish Sinclair Always drink plenty of fluids eh jaffas.
Geoff Guenole Hell yes. Do they still make Westbrew or Bavarian.
Phyllis Aberhart I wonder why it didn't give Blackball
David Owen Fittock Phyllis Aberhart probably comes under grey county
Kelly Ryan Phyllis Aberhart Birth place of the Labour Party--didn't want any negative spin....!!!
Geoffrey Bell Thomas Kinsella died in Blackball in 1918 of the 1918 Epidemic. He was aged 48.
Lynnette Beirne Interesting population only 1000 less people live here now
Robert Miedema Greymouth only half the size it is now.
James Codyre I wonder if my great uncle John McLaughlin of Redjacks is counted on that list.He died of Spanish Influenza 11 days after the end of WWI in France while awaiting transport home.
Arthur Dehn My GRANDAD , W HILL. CHINN nearly died at whataroa , but thanks to my mum who saved his life in that epidemic
Heather Newby the Denniston toll is high for the population there.. that would have been because their immunity would have been down.. lack of sunlight and also lack of soil to grow vege gardens... and there would have been a cloud cover a lot of the time up on the hill
Barbara Wilson My grandmother one of the 10 in Buller County, week before Christmas 1918, aged 33.. My mother and uncle both in Reefton hospital for 2 weeks but recovered aged 4 and 8. Askew family, Globe Hill.
At first I thought this death rate referred to a percentage of the population that died but on looking more closely that is obviously not the case. It appears to be the rate per 1000 people not per 100 people thus making it a look a lot worse if you thought the death rate was expressing a percentage. Looking at the total of 33,644 out of which 137 people died that is a death percentage of 0.41% whereas it has been expressed as a death rate of 4 without saying per thousand.
Janet Hogan Dennison was one of the worst places. First the Doctor died and as mainly single men, they died also.
Heather Newby the houses would have been cold.. no fresh furit and veg and not much sun.
Janet Hogan Heather Newby more importantly no woman to look after the men!
Heather Newby Janet Hogan yes.. and most young single men today mostly live on takeways so it must have been hard going up on the hill
Lynnette Walford Gosh glad that was out of the way by the time we got there..
Their lungs would have been affected by the coal dust tooHeather Newby
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It would have been hard keeping healthy in Denniston with lack of sunshine and lack of soil for gardens.. lack of fresh veges... no fruit.,, and the miners being underground in stuffy conditions all day.
Tess Curry
Heather agree with that. When ever I'm the Coast I head up and it still blows my everytime with how they managed to survive up there.
Warner Nut Curry
Interesting thanks Heather
Ric Fisher
Did they close the border's
Ian Caldwell
Spanish flu brought back from WW1.
Christine Banks
Urban areas were hit hardest and still are
Paddy Minehan
Any numbers for South Westland
Stuart McMillan
Huge amount
Don Rotundo
All the percentages are wrong.. Terrible epidemic ... but the math is off by a decimal point.
Ian Miller
Don Rotundo Indeed.Take line 1 and round up to make it easy. 1 in 500 is 0.2%, not 2%.
Glenn Johnston
The death rate column is a table of deaths per 1000 population not a percentage. You are right about it being out by a factor of 10 for a percentage but I think the way it is presented is deliberate not a mistake.
Lynnette Walford
Possibly with miners lungs being affected by coal dust at Denniston it may have helped a few along the way.
Rosemarie Searle How long did the flu last in New Zealand?
Marlene Coleman Rosemarie Searle my g-g-grandparents both died of the flu in Westport in 1917. I think there were a few waves of it.
Janet Monk Rosemarie Searle , I think it was about a year, more new zealanders died from this than died in the 4yrs of world war 1, do a google, quite interesting
Anthea Keenan Yes poor cold living conditions, flu, war times, early people went through tough times.. but found an article in newspaper from 2009 Hokitika Guardian too when Swine Flu was threatening...
Karlene Jane Batchelor Anthea Keenan my whole family got this, I'm sure, it nearly killed my father
I'd hate him to get this new one....
Geoff Guenole Kumara is always the best place to be or be from
Hamish Sinclair Always drink plenty of fluids eh jaffas.
Geoff Guenole Hell yes. Do they still make Westbrew or Bavarian.
Phyllis Aberhart I wonder why it didn't give Blackball
David Owen Fittock Phyllis Aberhart probably comes under grey county
Kelly Ryan Phyllis Aberhart Birth place of the Labour Party--didn't want any negative spin....!!!
Geoffrey Bell Thomas Kinsella died in Blackball in 1918 of the 1918 Epidemic. He was aged 48.
Lynnette Beirne Interesting population only 1000 less people live here now
Robert Miedema Greymouth only half the size it is now.
James Codyre I wonder if my great uncle John McLaughlin of Redjacks is counted on that list.He died of Spanish Influenza 11 days after the end of WWI in France while awaiting transport home.
Arthur Dehn My GRANDAD , W HILL. CHINN nearly died at whataroa , but thanks to my mum who saved his life in that epidemic
Heather Newby the Denniston toll is high for the population there.. that would have been because their immunity would have been down.. lack of sunlight and also lack of soil to grow vege gardens... and there would have been a cloud cover a lot of the time up on the hill
Barbara Wilson My grandmother one of the 10 in Buller County, week before Christmas 1918, aged 33.. My mother and uncle both in Reefton hospital for 2 weeks but recovered aged 4 and 8. Askew family, Globe Hill.
At first I thought this death rate referred to a percentage of the population that died but on looking more closely that is obviously not the case. It appears to be the rate per 1000 people not per 100 people thus making it a look a lot worse if you thought the death rate was expressing a percentage. Looking at the total of 33,644 out of which 137 people died that is a death percentage of 0.41% whereas it has been expressed as a death rate of 4 without saying per thousand.
Janet Hogan Dennison was one of the worst places. First the Doctor died and as mainly single men, they died also.
Heather Newby the houses would have been cold.. no fresh furit and veg and not much sun.
Janet Hogan Heather Newby more importantly no woman to look after the men!
Heather Newby Janet Hogan yes.. and most young single men today mostly live on takeways so it must have been hard going up on the hill
Lynnette Walford Gosh glad that was out of the way by the time we got there..
Their lungs would have been affected by the coal dust tooHeather Newby
Author
Admin
It would have been hard keeping healthy in Denniston with lack of sunshine and lack of soil for gardens.. lack of fresh veges... no fruit.,, and the miners being underground in stuffy conditions all day.
Tess Curry
Heather agree with that. When ever I'm the Coast I head up and it still blows my everytime with how they managed to survive up there.
Warner Nut Curry
Interesting thanks Heather
Ric Fisher
Did they close the border's
Ian Caldwell
Spanish flu brought back from WW1.
Christine Banks
Urban areas were hit hardest and still are
Paddy Minehan
Any numbers for South Westland
Stuart McMillan
Huge amount
Don Rotundo
All the percentages are wrong.. Terrible epidemic ... but the math is off by a decimal point.
Ian Miller
Don Rotundo Indeed.Take line 1 and round up to make it easy. 1 in 500 is 0.2%, not 2%.
Glenn Johnston
The death rate column is a table of deaths per 1000 population not a percentage. You are right about it being out by a factor of 10 for a percentage but I think the way it is presented is deliberate not a mistake.
Lynnette Walford
Possibly with miners lungs being affected by coal dust at Denniston it may have helped a few along the way.
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West Coast New Zealand History (7th Apr 2021). 1918 Flu epidemic stats for the West Coast.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 21st Apr 2026 20:15, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/27695