Tiwai Point lies at the entrance to Bluff Harbour on the southern coast of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. A spit which extends from the western end of the Awarua Plain, it lies between Awarua Bay to the north and

Foveaux Strait The Foveaux Strait, (, or , ) separates Stewart Island, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. The strait is about 130 km long (from Ruapuke Island to Little Solander Island), and it widens (from 14 km at Ruap ...

to the south. It is known for the

Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter The Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter is an aluminium smelter owned by Rio Tinto Group (79.36%) and the Sumitomo Group (20.64%), via a joint venture called New Zealand Aluminium Smelters (NZAS) Limited. The facility, New Zealand's only aluminium sm ...

, one of the largest industrial facilities in New Zealand. In July 2020

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...

announced plans to close the aluminium smelter in August 2021.

Demographics

Tiwai Point is part of the Woodend-Greenhills statistical area.

Tiwai Rocks Important Bird Area

The rocks at the tip of Tiwai Point have been identified as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because they are home to a breeding colony of Foveaux shags.

Foveaux looper moth

Tiwai Point is one of the two remaining locations where the critically endangered Foveaux looper moth lives. ''A. frivola'' is at high risk of extinction, and has already disappeared from one of its three known localities. Its main population exists on an area at Tiwai Point of less than 25 m² of coastal vegetation.

Causeway accident

In 1980, a vehicle with 10 people failed to take a turn on the Tiwai Point causeway, crashing through a barrier and falling into the water. Seven people died, including five who were never recovered.

References

{{coord, -46.598034, 168.364105, region:NZ_type:landmark, display=title Headlands of Southland, New Zealand Spits of New Zealand Important Bird Areas of New Zealand Bluff, New Zealand Foveaux Strait Invercargill