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port town, northwestern South Island, New Zealand. It lies at the mouth of the Buller River. Coal and gold were discovered in the area in 1859, and the town was surveyed in 1862. Gold was exploited for only a half-century or so, but coal mining (well developed by the 1870s) continues. The mines around Westport remain one of New Zealand's principal sources of bituminous coal. Other exports include dairy products and cement from local works. Westport also has breweries; furniture, coal gas, knitwear, hosiery, and flax plants; sawmills; fish canneries; and general-engineering and rail workshops. It is connected by rail and road with the coal mines and Seddonville to the northeast and with Greymouth to the southwest. Pop. (2001) 3,783.