Maniaiti / Benneydale is a small town in the

Waitomo District Waitomo District is a territorial authority, located in the Waikato region, at the north of the King Country area in the North Island of New Zealand. A small part of the district, the locality of Tiroa, however, lies in the Manawatū-Whanganui ...

. It is on State Highway 30, approximately southeast of

Te Kūiti Te Kūiti is a town in the north of the King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of New Zealand State Highway 3, State Highways 3 and New Zealand State Highway 30, 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk rail ...

History

Coal township

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 In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

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 The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

that does not have a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

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.

Modern history

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 Pureora Forest Park is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rainforest are an abundance of 1,000-year-old Podocarpaceae, podocarp trees. It is "recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world". Establi ...

. 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 The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) is the authority over geographical and hydrographic names within New Zealand and its territorial waters. This includes the naming of small urban settlements, localities, mounta ...

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.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Maniaiti/Benneydale as a rural settlement, which covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of 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 The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...

, 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+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group is ...

. 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. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 48.1%

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

(

Pākehā ''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

); 58.2%

; 8.9% Pasifika; 8.9% Asian; 1.3% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.5%, Māori by 11.4%, Samoan by 2.5%, and other languages by 2.5%. No language could be spoken by 2.5% (e.g. too young to talk). The percentage of people born overseas was 19.0, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 25.3%

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, 2.5%

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, 2.5%

Māori religious beliefs Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, and 1.3%

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.2%, and 10.1% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 9 (4.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 96 (50.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 81 (42.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $28,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 3 people (1.6%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 96 (50.0%) full-time, 21 (10.9%) part-time, and 9 (4.7%) unemployed.

Waipa Valley statistical area

Waipa Valley statistical area, which also includes Rangitoto, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Waipa Valley had a population of 1,269 in the

, an increase of 48 people (3.9%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 18 people (1.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 660 males, 603 females, and 6 people of other genders in 483 dwellings. 1.4% of people identified as

. The median age was 39.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 261 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 225 (17.7%) aged 15 to 29, 594 (46.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 189 (14.9%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 73.5%

(

); 32.2%

; 3.5% Pasifika; 4.3% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 5.2% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori by 6.6%, Samoan by 0.5%, and other languages by 4.7%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk).

New Zealand Sign Language New Zealand Sign Language or NZSL () is the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand. It became an official language of New Zealand in April 2006 under the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006. The purpose of the act was to create rights ...

was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 27.9%

, 0.2%

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, 0.7%

, 3.5%

, 0.2%

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 0.5%

, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 58.9%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 144 (14.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 576 (57.1%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 291 (28.9%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $40,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 81 people (8.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 588 (58.3%) full-time, 144 (14.3%) part-time, and 27 (2.7%) unemployed.

Marae

Mangapeehi Marae is located near Benneydale. It is a meeting ground for the

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on th ...

hapū In Māori language, Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief ...

Ngāti Matakore Matakore was a Māori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Maniapoto in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand. He is an ancestor of the Ngāti Matakore hapū (sub-tribe) of Ngāti Maniapoto and of the southern branch ...

, Ngutu,

Pare In aviation, PARE is a mnemonic for a generic spin recovery technique applicable to many types of fixed-wing aircraft, abbreviating the terms ''power'', ''ailerons'', ''rudder'', and ''elevator''. Overview PARE stands for: *Power: idle *Ailerons ...

, Raukawa,

Rereahu Rereahu was a Māori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Raukawa in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand. He probably lived in the first half of the seventeenth century. He is the ancestor of the Ngāti Maniapoto, ...

and Te Ihingarangi, and features the Rereahu

meeting house A meeting house (also spelled meetinghouse or meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes private meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a: * chu ...

. Te Miringa te Kakara, a local meeting house, is located one kilometre from Benneydale, between Benneydale and Tiroa Te Hape Marae and Te Kaha Tuatini meeting house is located east of Benneydale; it is a meeting place for the

hapū of Ngāti Te Rā and Ngāti Tuwhakahekeao.

Education

Benneydale School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of The school opened in 1945. In 1961 a district high school opened next door. It changed to Bennydale Area School in 1978, with the primary school incorporated. In 1996, the school became a full primary school covering years 1 to 8.

Notable people

* Keith Quinn, sports broadcaster

References

External links

1956 one inch map showing mines and tramway
{{Waitomo District Waitomo District Populated places in Waikato Populated places in Manawatū-Whanganui