Story: City history and people

Mangakino was built in 1946 as a construction town for the Waikato hydroelectric power scheme. The workers’ camp consisted of wooden huts (foreground); workers with families lived in houses (middle distance). The town included a shopping centre, schools and sports grounds. The original plan was to dismantle Mangakino once the hydro scheme had been completed, but many residents wanted to stay on and the town survived.