Huntly () (population ) is a town in the

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

district and region of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

of New Zealand. It was on

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

(until Huntly bypass opened in March 2020), south of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

and north of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. It is situated on the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

(NIMT) railway (served by

Te Huia Te Huia is a passenger train service connecting the major cities of Hamilton and Auckland in New Zealand. The service is a five-year trial with subsidies from the NZ Transport Agency and Waikato local authorities. The opening was delayed beca ...

since 6 April 2021 at a rebuilt Raahui Pookeka-Huntly Station) and straddles the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

. Huntly is within the

Waikato District Waikato District is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngā ...

which is in the northern part of the

region local government area.

History and culture

Originally settled by

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 ...

, European migrants arrived in the area some time in the 1850s. The Huntly name was adopted in the 1870s when the postmaster named it after

Huntly, Aberdeenshire Huntly ( or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlements include Keith, M ...

, in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He used an old 'Huntley Lodge' stamp to stamp mail from the early European settlement. The word ''Lodge'' was later dropped and the spelling changed to also drop the additional 'e'. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

from Auckland reached Huntly in 1877, when the

Huntly railway station Huntly railway station is a railway station serving the town of Huntly in Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, between Insch and Keith, from Aberdeen. A small goods yard is located adjacent to ...

was opened. Huntly and its surrounding area is steeped in

history and falls within the ''

rohe The Māori people of New Zealand use the word ' to describe the territory or boundaries of tribes (, although some divide their into several . Background In 1793, chief Tuki Te Terenui Whare Pirau who had been brought to Norfolk Island drew ...

'' (tribal area) of

-Tainui of the

Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka (canoe), waka confederation of New Zealand Māori people, Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki Māori, Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapo ...

waka confederation.

Ngāti Mahuta Ngāti Mahuta is a sub-tribe (or hapū) of the Waikato (iwi), Waikato tribe (or iwi) of Māori people, Māori in the North Island of New Zealand. The territory (rohe) of Ngāti Mahuta is the Kawhia Harbour, Kawhia and Huntly, New Zealand, Hunt ...

and Ngāti Whawhakia are the subtribes in the Huntly area. Waahi Pa in Huntly was the home of the Māori queen Dame

Te Atairangikaahu Dame Te Atairangikaahu (born Pikimene Korokī Mahuta, 23 July 1931 – 15 August 2006) reigned as Māori Queen from 1966 until her death in 2006. Her reign was the longest of any Māori monarch. Her full name and title was Te Arikinui D ...

and of her son the Māori king

Tūheitia Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII GCCT KStJ KCLJ (born Tūheitia Paki; 21 April 1955 – 30 August 2024), crowned as Kīngi Tūheitia, reigned as the Māori King from 2006 until his death in 2024. He was the eldest son of the previous Mā ...

. Rakaumanga Native School was established in 1896. It was moved to its present site in 1974 to make way for the building of

Huntly Power Station The Huntly Power Station is the largest thermal power station in New Zealand and is located in the town of Huntly in the Waikato. It is operated by Genesis Energy Limited, a publicly listed company (currently 51% owned by the NZ Government). Th ...

. It became one of the first bilingual schools (Māori/English) in New Zealand in 1984. It became a kura kaupapa (total immersion, Māori as its first language) in 1994 and is now known by the name Te Whare Kura o Rakaumangamanga.

Marae

There are a number of

marae A ' (in Māori language, New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian language, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan language, Tongan), ' (in Marquesan language, Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan language, Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves reli ...

in and around Huntly, affiliated with the

Ngāti Kuiaarangi Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...

, Ngāti Mahuta,

Ngāti Tai Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English. ...

and

Ngāti Whāwhākia Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zea ...

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 ...

: Kaitumutumu Marae and Ruateatea meeting house, Te Kauri Marae and Karaka meeting house, Te Ōhākī Marae and Te Ōhākī a Te Puea meeting house, and Waahi Pa and Tāne i te Pupuke meeting house. In October 2020, the Government committed $2,584,751 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the New Zealand First party. Jones' political career began 2005 New Zealand general election, in 2005 as a l ...

to upgrade Waahoi Marae and 7 other

Waikato Tainui Waikato Tainui, Waikato or Tainui is a group of Māori ''iwi'' based in the Waikato Region, in the western central region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the larger Tainui confederation of Polynesian settlers who arrived to New Zeal ...

marae, creating 40 jobs. Horahora Marae and Maurea Marae are located north of Huntly at

Rangiriri Rangiriri is a rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Waikato River near Lake Waikare in the Waikato District. State Highway 1 now bypasses Rangiriri. Rangiriri was the s ...

Demographics

Huntly covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Huntly had a population of 8,232 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 285 people (3.6%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 1,335 people (19.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 4,098 males, 4,104 females and 27 people of other genders in 2,649 dwellings. 2.7% 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 34.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 1,956 people (23.8%) aged under 15 years, 1,650 (20.0%) aged 15 to 29, 3,450 (41.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,179 (14.3%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 51.0%

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 ...

); 53.5%

; 11.8%

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

; 7.3% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 95.3%, Māori language by 18.5%, Samoan by 0.9%, and other languages by 7.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.6% (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 0.9%. The percentage of people born overseas was 13.7, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 28.5%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 4.5%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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%

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 ...

, 0.1%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and 0.7% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.5%, and 7.9% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 654 (10.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 3,486 (55.5%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 2,136 (34.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $34,000, compared with $41,500 nationally. 309 people (4.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 2,889 (46.0%) people were employed full-time, 624 (9.9%) were part-time, and 315 (5.0%) were unemployed.

Huntly Rural

The statistical area of Huntly Rural, which includes Ohinewai, Ruawaro and

Glen Afton Glen Afton and Pukemiro are twin settlements in the Waikato District, in northern Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. The nearest town is Huntly, New Zealand, Huntly, some away. The settlements were previously an important coal-min ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Huntly Rural had a population of 2,277 in the

, an increase of 48 people (2.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 225 people (11.0%) since the 2013 census. There were 1,209 males, 1,065 females and 3 people of other genders in 870 dwellings. 1.8% of people identified as

. The median age was 40.9 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 432 people (19.0%) aged under 15 years, 375 (16.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,095 (48.1%) aged 30 to 64, and 375 (16.5%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 78.4%

(

); 30.0%

; 4.0%

; 4.3% Asian; 0.4% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.1%, Māori language by 9.0%, Samoan by 0.3%, and other languages by 5.4%. No language could be spoken by 2.1% (e.g. too young to talk).

was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.6, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 24.2%

, 0.3%

, 0.1%

, 2.0%

, 0.8%

, 0.5%

, and 1.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 62.3%, and 8.2% of people did not answer the census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 216 (11.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,068 (57.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 561 (30.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 165 people (8.9%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 960 (52.0%) people were employed full-time, 267 (14.5%) were part-time, and 57 (3.1%) were unemployed. Huntly and Waikato River in 1991

Major industries

is a large gas/coal-fired power station, prominently situated on the western bank of the

. It is New Zealand's largest thermal power station, situated in the area which is New Zealand's largest producer of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

, producing over 10,000 tonnes a day. Huntly is also surrounded by farmland and lakes (many of them former open-pit mines) which are used for coarse fishing, yachting and waterskiing.

Coal

The Waikato coalfield is formed of 30 -35m year old

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

rocks. The lowest coal measures are the

Taupiri Taupiri is a small town of about 500 people on the eastern bank of the Waikato River in the Waikato District of New Zealand. It is overlooked by Taupiri mountain, the sacred burial ground for the Waikato tribes of the Māori people, located ...

Seams, worked at

Rotowaro Rotowaro was once a small coal mining township approximately 10 km west of Huntly, New Zealand, Huntly in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The town was built especially for miners houses, but was entirely removed in the 1980s to make way ...

, the upper Kupakupa and Renown Seams having been largely worked out. The area has a very long history of coal mining, with both

open cast Open or OPEN may refer to: Music * Open (band), Australian pop/rock band * The Open (band), English indie rock band * ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969 * ''Open'' (Gerd Dudek, Buschi Niebergall, and Edward Vesala album), 1979 * ''Open'' (Got ...

and classical mines operating or having operated here.Huntly
(from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966 Edition. Accessed 20 February 2008.) The major New Zealand clients for the mined coal are the power station and the

New Zealand Steel New Zealand Steel Limited is the owner of the Glenbrook Steel Mill, a steel mill located 40 kilometres south of Auckland, in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The mill was constructed in 1968 and began producing steel products in 1969. Currently, the ...

mill at Glenbrook. The first coal to be mined was half a ton at Taupiri in 1849, followed by 32 tons in 1850, opposite Kupa Kupa, about south of Huntly, and coal was also discovered at Papahorohoro, near Taupiri. However, it wasn't being exploited when the geologist,

Ferdinand von Hochstetter Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter (30 April 1829 – 18 July 1884) was a Germany, German-Austrians, Austrian geologist. In 1857 he was appointed geologist on the Austrian Novara expedition to New Zealand, collecting natural his ...

, visited it in 1859. It was used to fuel steamers during the 1863

invasion of the Waikato The invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

. Kupakupa mine was started in 1864 and produced 11,000 tons by 1866. The area was

confiscated Confiscation (from the Latin ''confiscatio'' "to consign to the ''fiscus'', i.e. transfer to the treasury") is a legal form of seizure by a government or other public authority. The word is also used, popularly, of spoliation under legal forms, o ...

in 1865. It was auctioned by government in 1867. Taupiri Coal Co was producing 1,300 tons a month by 1879, up from 5,300 tons a year in 1878. A mine across the river from Kupakupa was opened in 1879. On 12 September 1914 at the Ralph Mine in Huntly, a naked light caused an explosion that killed 43 coal miners. After the Pukemiro railway opened in 1915, mines opened at Pukemiro,

, Rotowaro, Waikōkōwai and Renown. Open cast mining began west of Huntly during World War 2, and later an opencast mine at Kimihia.

O’Reilly’s Opencast Mine

This was the last mine operating in Huntly (off Riverview Rd), producing 24,708 tonnes in 2016. It was a privately owned mine, opened in 1957 and mainly selling to New Zealand Steel. It closed in 2018. Puke Mine and Rotowaro are the only mines still open in the Huntly area.

Huntly East Coalmine

Solid Energy Solid Energy was the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government. The company was formed from the former government department State Coal Mines. It was then established as a state ow ...

closed this Huntly mine on 22 October 2015, saying it was losing $500,000 a month. It opened in 1978, produced a peak of 465,000 tonnes in 2004 and was digging about 450,000 tonnes a year until production was cut to 100,000 tonnes in September 2013. The mine entrance was in Huntly East, but by 2012 all mining was west of the Waikato, with roadways 150 metres below the river, the two 8 to 20 metre thick

sub-bituminous Sub-bituminous coal is a lower grade of coal that contains 35–45% carbon. The properties of this type are between those of lignite, the lowest grade of coal, and those of bituminous coal, the second-highest grade of coal. Sub-bituminous coal ...

seams being 150 to 400 metres deep. In 2012 it was estimated that 7 million tonnes of recoverable coal remained in the consented mining areas, with a further 12 million available for future expansion. Coal was mined by remote-controlled continuous miners and taken to the entrance in shuttle cars and then by conveyor belt. It continued to Glenbrook via the Kimihia branch railway and the NIMT. It employed about 200 in 2012, but was down to 68 at closure. Kimihia Wetland was created on the former bed of

Lake Kimihia Lake Kimihia is located approximately 5 km to the Northeast of Huntly, in the Waikato Region of New Zealand. Lake Kimihia is a riverine lake, which links to the Waikato River. Lake Kimihia was significantly modified as a result of open ca ...

to cope with subsidence and treat water from Huntly East Mine.

Bricks

Clay suited for bricks lies on top of some of the coal deposits. Brick making began in 1884, Huntly Brick and Fireclay was established in 1911 and

Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per ...

Refractories continues on the site at the south end of the town. Nearby, Clay Bricks operate a brickworks.

Rugby league

Huntly has a proud

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

history – at one time the town had four rugby league clubs: Taniwharau, Huntly South, Huntly United and Rangiriri Eels. Taniwharau has been one of the most successful clubs having won 11 straight Waikato premierships during the 1970s and 1980s. Taniwharau also won the inaugural Waicoa Bay championship in 2002 and again in 2007 a year in which they went through the season unbeaten; a feat that has never been achieved before at the Waikato premier level. The Waicoa Bay championship is a combined rugby league competition involving clubs from Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coastlines. A number of New Zealand players have come out of Huntly including pre war players Tom Timms, Richard Trautvetter and Len Mason who also, after the 1926 Kiwi tour of Great Britain finished his playing career at

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

, playing a record 365 games in 9 years including a winning Challenge Cup final at Wembley in 1929. Post war players include

Albert Hambleton Albert F. N. Hambleton (4 September 1857 – 11 September 1922) was an American politician. Hambleton was born in Forest Home, Iowa, on 4 September 1857, to parents Levi and Mary Hall Hambleton. Following his education at common schools, the Mahas ...

, Reg Cooke, Graeme Farrar, Roger Tait,

Ted Baker Ted Baker is a British clothing brand founded in 1988 in Glasgow, Scotland, which traded in shops under the Ted Baker name until falling into administration in March 2024. It was relaunched online in November 2024. The brand is styled as 'Ted B ...

, Paul Ravlich,

Tawera Nikau Tawera Nuieia Nikau (born 1 January 1967) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played club football at a number of different club ...

(Rangiriri) and, more recently,

Wairangi Koopu Dane Wairangi Manuera Koopu (born 2 April 1980) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League. Koopu primarily played in the , and as a ...

(Taniwharau) and

Lance Hohaia Lance Koro Hohaia (born 1 April 1983), also known by the nickname of "The Huntly Hurricane", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A New Zealand international representative utility back, he played in the NRL for the Ne ...

(Taniwharau). Other Kiwi players to come out of Huntly include Andy Berryman, Don Parkinson, Rick Muru, Kevin Fisher and Vaun O'Callaghan. The town has also produced numerous NZ Māori Rugby league representatives and two international referees; Arthur Harlock and Roland (Roly) Avery.

Bridges

Rail Bridge After a first pile driving ceremony in 1911, the punt (opened 18 September 1894) was replaced in 1915 by a road/rail bridge serving the Pukemiro railway. Tainui Bridge is a 7-span bowstring-arch for road traffic opened in 1959, when the 1915 bridge became rail only, and a footbridge was attached to its side. Tainui Bridge was strengthened in 2005 to allow 500 tonne turbines to be carried to the Power Station, work which gained an award. Seismic strengthening was done in 2011. The bridge was repainted in 2016. A footbridge across Shand Lane, the 1978 SH1 bypass and NIMT links Glasgow St with Main St. The 14-tonne central span was raised from 4.8 to 5.25m in 2010 to provide clearance for

Te Uku Te Uku is a small, mainly farming, settlement on New Zealand State Highway 23, SH23 in the North Island of New Zealand, located from Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton and from Raglan, New Zealand, Raglan. It has a Four Square (supermarket), 4-S ...

construction trucks. It was also closed twice in 2015, firstly for repainting, then again when the arm of an excavator on a truck hit the bridge, requiring also temporary closure of SH1. Cameras and extra rails have been installed to improve safety, following stone throwing.

Education

Huntly has five co-educational schools. The rolls given here are as of Huntly College is a state secondary school covering years 9 to 13, with a roll of . The college was opened in 1953. Huntly School and Huntly West School are state full primary schools covering years 1 to 8, with rolls of and respectively. Huntly School opened in 1879, and was rebuilt after a fire in 1906. Huntly West opened in 1856. St Anthony's Catholic School is a state-integrated full primary school covering years 1 to 8, with a roll of . It opened in 1914. Te Wharekura o Rākaumangamanga is a state composite school covering years 1 to 13. with a roll of . It provides a

Māori language Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...

immersive education. It opened in 1896 as Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga, a native primary school, and became state-integrated in 1969. It moved to its present site in 1974. From 1979 a Māori language course was taught, and the school became officially bilingual in 1984. The school moved to total immersion in the Māori language between 1989 and 1992. It became a

kura kaupapa Māori Kura may refer to: Places * Kura, Iran (disambiguation) * Kura Island, Azerbaijan * Kura, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Kano State * Kura (South Caucasus river), a river in Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan * Kura (Russia), a river in R ...

school in 1994, and added full secondary education in 1996. The suburb of Kimihia also has a primary school, Kimihia School.

In popular culture

Huntly features in the 2025 film ''

A Minecraft Movie ''A Minecraft Movie'' is a 2025 American fantasy film, fantasy Adventure film, adventure comedy film based on the 2011 video game ''Minecraft'' by Mojang Studios. It was directed by Jared Hess and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil ...

'', where it stands in for the fictional town of Chuglass,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...