Greendale is a lightly populated rural area, part of the Selwyn District, Canterbury, a region of New Zealand's South Island.

[1] One of the first farmers was Thomas William Adams, a pioneer of forestry and education in the area.

[2] Another one of the first farmers was Charles Early who moved to Greendale (Water ford) in 1876.

On 4 September 2010, Greendale became further notable as the location of the strongest earthquake ground-shaking ever recorded in New Zealand, registering an acceleration 1.25 times that of gravity.

Greendale is part of the rural Charing Cross statistical area, which covers 168.68 km2 (65.13 sq mi).