Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Benneydale
Maniaiti / Benneydale is a small town in the Waitomo District. It is on State Highway 30, approximately 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Te Kūiti.
Coal was discovered in the area in 1931, and a mine was built at the town's present location. In 1940 the government bought the mine and created the township of Benneydale. Its name is a portmanteau of the undersecretary of mines at the time (Matt Benney) and the mine superintendent (Tom Dale). It was the only town in the King Country that does not have a Māori name.
At its peak the town had a population of 2000 with a butchery, bakery and picture theatre. There were jobs in the coal mine until the early 1990s, but like many other rural areas in New Zealand the town has slowly declined.
Bush United is the town's local rugby union club, the clubhouse was built at Pureora in 1960 and was moved to Benneydale.
Bennydale now mainly operates as a farm service town and it is the closest town to the Timber Trail in the Pureora Forest Park. The town has a police station, volunteer fire brigade, a garage, a corner store that sells hot food and basic groceries, a cafe with accommodation, and a primary school. There is also a meat works on the outskirts of town.
In 2018 the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board lodged an application to the New Zealand Geographic Board to change the name to Maniaiti, which means "a small slide, slip" and is the name of a hill behind the township. It was decided that it would have a dual name of Maniaiti / Benneydale. There was substantial local opposition to the name change.
Statistics New Zealand describes Maniaiti/Benneydale as a rural settlement, which covers 0.58 km2 (0.22 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 250 as of June 2025, with a population density of 431 people per km2. The settlement is part of the larger Waipa Valley statistical area.
Maniaiti/Benneydale had a population of 237 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (25.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 57 people (31.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 120 males, 114 females, and 3 people of other genders in 78 dwellings. 1.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 32.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 45 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 54 (22.8%) aged 15 to 29, 114 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (10.1%) aged 65 or older.
Hub AI
Benneydale AI simulator
(@Benneydale_simulator)
Benneydale
Maniaiti / Benneydale is a small town in the Waitomo District. It is on State Highway 30, approximately 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Te Kūiti.
Coal was discovered in the area in 1931, and a mine was built at the town's present location. In 1940 the government bought the mine and created the township of Benneydale. Its name is a portmanteau of the undersecretary of mines at the time (Matt Benney) and the mine superintendent (Tom Dale). It was the only town in the King Country that does not have a Māori name.
At its peak the town had a population of 2000 with a butchery, bakery and picture theatre. There were jobs in the coal mine until the early 1990s, but like many other rural areas in New Zealand the town has slowly declined.
Bush United is the town's local rugby union club, the clubhouse was built at Pureora in 1960 and was moved to Benneydale.
Bennydale now mainly operates as a farm service town and it is the closest town to the Timber Trail in the Pureora Forest Park. The town has a police station, volunteer fire brigade, a garage, a corner store that sells hot food and basic groceries, a cafe with accommodation, and a primary school. There is also a meat works on the outskirts of town.
In 2018 the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board lodged an application to the New Zealand Geographic Board to change the name to Maniaiti, which means "a small slide, slip" and is the name of a hill behind the township. It was decided that it would have a dual name of Maniaiti / Benneydale. There was substantial local opposition to the name change.
Statistics New Zealand describes Maniaiti/Benneydale as a rural settlement, which covers 0.58 km2 (0.22 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 250 as of June 2025, with a population density of 431 people per km2. The settlement is part of the larger Waipa Valley statistical area.
Maniaiti/Benneydale had a population of 237 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 48 people (25.4%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 57 people (31.7%) since the 2013 census. There were 120 males, 114 females, and 3 people of other genders in 78 dwellings. 1.3% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 32.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 45 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 54 (22.8%) aged 15 to 29, 114 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (10.1%) aged 65 or older.