Maniaiti / Benneydale is a small town in the Waitomo District. It is on State Highway 30, approximately southeast of Te Kuiti.

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 of the undersecretary of mines at the time (

Matt Benney Cecil Henry "Matt" Benney (6 July 1902–12 December 1980) was a New Zealand civil servant and politician. Biography Early life Benney was born at Kaumati in the Hauraki district in 1902. He came from a family closely associated with mini ...

) and the mine superintendent (Tom Dale). It was the only town in the King Country 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 C ...

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 The Timber Trail, originally known as the Central North Island Rail Trail or Pureora Timber Trail, in the North Island of New Zealand is an cycleway (also used by walkers and hunters) in Pureora Forest Park, fully opened in 2013, with 35 bridges ...

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.

Demographics

Statistics New Zealand describes Benneydale as a rural settlement, which covers . The settlement is part of the larger Waipa Valley statistical area. Bennydale had a population of 189 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 9 people (5.0%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 21 people (−10.0%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 72 households, comprising 99 males and 96 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.03 males per female. The median age was 36.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 51 people (27.0%) aged under 15 years, 33 (17.5%) aged 15 to 29, 87 (46.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (7.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 38.1% European/ Pākehā, 60.3%

, 11.1% Pacific peoples, 11.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 3.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 52.4% had no religion, 34.9% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, 6.3% had Māori religious beliefs, and 4.8% were

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (4.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 42 (30.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $21,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 3 people (2.2%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 63 (45.7%) people were employed full-time, 21 (15.2%) were part-time, and 6 (4.3%) were 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 1,221 at the

, a decrease of 30 people (−2.4%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 48 people (−3.8%) since the

. There were 465 households, comprising 642 males and 579 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female. The median age was 39.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 273 people (22.4%) aged under 15 years, 201 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 591 (48.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 156 (12.8%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 76.9% European/ Pākehā, 28.7%

, 3.4% Pacific peoples, 3.4%

, and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 10.3, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.6% had no religion, 33.4% were

, 2.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 1.0% were

, 0.2% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 114 (12.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 228 (24.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 114 people (12.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 531 (56.0%) people were employed full-time, 174 (18.4%) were part-time, and 21 (2.2%) were unemployed.

Marae

Mangapeehi Marae is located near Benneydale. It is a meeting ground for the Ngāti Maniapoto hapū of

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

, Ngutu, Pare, Raukawa,

Rereahu Rereahu was a Maori ''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, N ...

and

Te Ihingarangi Te Ihinga-a-rangi was a Maori ''rangatira'' (chieftain) of Ngāti Raukawa in the Tainui tribal confederation from the Waikato region, New Zealand and is the ancestor of the Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura iwi and the Te Ihinga-a-rangi hap ...

, and features the Rereahu

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...

. 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 Rereahu was a Maori people, Maori ''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 ...

and

Ngāti Tuwhakahekeao Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

Education

Benneydale School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of as of The school opened in 1945.

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