This settlement is 38 km north-east of Invercargill and 27 km south of Gore. New Zealand’s first dairy factory was built here, after the sheep-station manager Thomas Brydone suggested in 1881 that dairying might be more profitable than running sheep. The plant, much extended, is now the only one in Southland apart from the town milk supply in Invercargill.
Meaning of place name
Named by John (or James) Douglas, who purchased the original Mackenzie run on behalf of the New Zealand & Australian Land Company. Earlier names were Maorirua, Mataura Plains and Stuarts Bush.
