As we enter the year 1990, communities throughout New Zealand are celebrating 150 years of colonisation. It is fitting, then, that our little township should mark the occasion with this publication of its history from the time when it was part of the Levels Run.

The book had its beginnings in 1980-81 when some senior pupils of Pleasant Point High School, as part of a Temporary Employment Scheme organised by the Labour Department, were given the task of researching the township's history.

Under the guidance of Steve Cutler, a school staff member, they researched much of the basic history and presented their findings to the Railway and Historical Society for future reference.

Members of that committee approached me and the late Beattie Smith with a request that we write a book on the history of Pleasant Point, elaborating on the work the school pupils had done.

Together, we collated the huge quantity of material that Beattie Smith had already collected over the years but, sadly, her sudden death curtailed progress on the project.

As time went by, The Historical Society Committee expressed concern as to the likelihood of the book ever becoming a reality and a sub-committee was formed under the chairmanship of L. Blakemore to promote its publication.

Researching and compiling the necessary information, although intensely interesting, has been a long and arduous task. Admittedly, there will be errors and omissions and for these, I apologise.

Nevertheless, I trust that this book is a true record of the development of Pleasant Point from a small accommodation house to the township we know today.

O.P. Oliver
Pleasant Point
December 1989