Last updated October 2026
Longbush is a small farming locality in Southland District, east of Invercargill on the low-lying Southland plain. It lies on State Highway 1 between Kennington and Dacre, with the Waihopai River nearby and the larger settlement of Woodlands to the northeast.
The name comes from a long stand of native bush that covered this ground before it was cleared for farms. Today the district is open pasture rather than a village centre, and most everyday services are in Woodlands or Invercargill. It is not part of Invercargill city. People mostly pass through on the highway, or live among working farms.
Practical Information
- Ward or local board
- Waihōpai Toetoe Ward and Waihōpai Toetoe Community Board, Southland District Council
- Getting there
- By road on State Highway 1, east of Invercargill between Kennington and Dacre. The Main South Line railway runs through the locality, but there is no passenger train service.
- Nearby landmarks
- Waihopai River, Woodlands, State Highway 1, Main South Line
About Longbush
Longbush is rural Southland in the plainest sense: flat, fertile farmland on the eastern approaches to Invercargill. Te Ara groups it with the region’s “bush” settlements, districts named for the forest early settlers cleared and still organised around local farms rather than a town centre. NZ History describes it as a farming locality on the low-lying Southland plain.
The published name meaning is geographic, not ceremonial. NZ History records that the name reflects the shape of the bush before it was cut down: about three miles long and one and a half miles wide. Te Ara puts the same idea more simply: Longbush, on State Highway 1 near Woodlands, was named after a long stretch of native bush.
Before European settlement, Southland’s plains carried mataī, rimu, lowland beech, kānuka and mānuka, with tussock, swamp and bog in the low ground. That forest is gone from this locality. What remains is the name, and the farmed plain that replaced it.
The community sits outside Invercargill city, in Southland District, on the banks of the Waihopai River. Woodlands is the larger neighbouring town to the northeast. Rakahouka is also nearby. The Main South Line runs through between Kennington and Dacre.
Passenger trains have not run on this section since the Southerner ended on 10 February 2002, and that express did not stop at Longbush in any case. The railway is part of the landscape, not a way to arrive.
There is no township streetscape to walk. Te Ara’s account of the settlement is that it has only a dairy on the main road, which is a fair picture of how thin local services are, even if that shop detail should be checked on the ground.
Day-to-day shopping, schools and most community life sit in Woodlands, other nearby settlements, or Invercargill. The interest of Longbush is the working countryside itself: dairy and pastoral farms on land that was once a long block of bush.
Getting Around
State Highway 1 is the practical route. It is the main road between Invercargill and the eastern Southland towns, so Longbush is easy to reach by car and easy to miss if you are only passing through. There is no passenger rail stop.
No local bus service is recorded in the council or heritage sources used here, so plan on driving. Woodlands, a short way northeast, is the nearest place with a fuller set of small-town services.
History and Heritage
Longbush belongs to the generation of Southland districts named for the bush that was felled to make farms. The clearing of that long stand of forest is the defining change in the locality’s history. What visitors see now is the result: open farmland on a low plain, with the highway and the railway as the main built lines through it.
A roll of honour for local men, including those enlisted for home service, is recorded by NZ History as hanging in the Longbush kindergarten.
The men of the district listed as killed in action are Alexander Black, Ira Rubel Evans, Leslie William Beer and A. Piercy. It is a modest memorial, kept in a community building rather than on a roadside monument, and it is one of the few published traces of organised local life.
Community Facilities
Southland District Council’s planning documents record a Longbush hall among the district’s community facilities, held as a council-created special reserve. NZ History’s memorial record also places a kindergarten in the locality.
Neither is a visitor attraction with published opening hours, and this is not a place to arrive expecting cafés, a school gate or a main street. Community life here is rural and low-key. For representation, the locality sits in the Waihōpai Toetoe Ward and is covered by the Waihōpai Toetoe Community Board.
Where to Learn More
NZ History: Longbush: short official note on the locality, the meaning of the name, and a link to the war memorial roll.
Te Ara: The Southland bush: places Longbush among the region’s bush settlements and explains how those districts were named.
Southland District Council: representation proposal: confirms Longbush sits in the Waihōpai Toetoe Ward and community board area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Longbush part of Invercargill?
No. It is a locality in Southland District, east of the city, not a suburb of Invercargill City.
How do I get to Longbush?
Drive State Highway 1 east from Invercargill. The locality lies on the highway between Kennington and Dacre, before Woodlands if you are heading toward Dunedin.
What does the name Longbush mean?
NZ History says it reflects the shape of the native bush before it was cut down: about three miles long and one and a half miles wide. Te Ara likewise says it was named after a long stretch of native bush.
Is there a town centre or shops?
No town centre is described in council or heritage sources. Te Ara notes only a dairy on the main road. For a wider range of shops, use Woodlands or Invercargill, and check what is open before you rely on a roadside stop.
Does the train stop at Longbush?
No. The Main South Line passes through, but passenger trains have not run since the Southerner ended in 2002, and that service did not stop here.
Is there a school in Longbush?
Published descriptions treat Longbush as a farming locality, not a town with its own school. A kindergarten is recorded in connection with the local war memorial roll. Confirm current early-childhood services and school zones with the provider or the Ministry of Education.
What is there to do?
Very little in the way of attractions. Longbush is working farmland on a state highway. The interest is the setting: cleared bush country, the Waihopai River, and an easy drive on toward Woodlands.
Who represents Longbush on the council?
It is in the Waihōpai Toetoe Ward of Southland District Council, and it is also listed under the Waihōpai Toetoe Community Board.
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