Mosgiel in The Twentieth Century
From 1900 to 1997, Mosgiel was the site of Holy Cross College, the national Roman Catholic seminary for the training of priests. The seminary was located in extensive grounds which included a farm. The seminary was moved to Auckland in 1997 but many of its buildings remain and are used for Catholic and other purposes.
The significance of the area for transport grew in the 20th century when the proximity of the plain's flat land to Dunedin saw the establishment of the Taieri Aerodrome, just north of Mosgiel, in the late 1920s and the development of Momona Airport, now Dunedin International Airport, further south on the plain in 1962.
After the Second World War some expected Mosgiel might industrialise extensively, like the Hutt Valley, but expansion remained limited. The bankruptcy of the woollen mill in 1980 and its eventual closure has not been offset by other industrial developments.
The late 20th century's increasingly ageing New Zealand population saw the expansion of housing for the elderly, with several retirement villages and communities located in the vicinity. In recent decades the hills above the plain have seen some division into lifestyle blocks. The 2003 completion of the Fairfield bypass shortened commuting-time via the southern motorway (part of State Highway 1) to the city centre.
Mosgiel's economy until recent years focused on the manufacture of wool-products and many elderly New Zealanders still associate the word "Mosgiel" with the former Mosgiel Woollen Mills. Today, Mosgiel's income comes from many sources, including local shops, cafés and bars. It remains an important service-centre for the surrounding farming community. It also hosts one of New Zealand's largest agricultural research institutes, Invermay. Until recently the largest employer was Fisher & Paykel which manufactured DishDrawer dishwasher and ranges at their Mosgiel factory. The closure of this plant was announced in early 2008.
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