Manawaru or Manawarū is a rural community in the

Matamata-Piako District Matamata-Piako District is a local government area in the Waikato region of New Zealand. It lies to the east of the city of Hamilton. Geography The district encompasses the southern end of the Hauraki Plains and much of the Thames Valley, and i ...

and

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

region of New Zealand's

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

. It is located south-east of

Te Aroha Te Aroha ( mi, Te Aroha-a-uta) is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,906 people in the 2013 census, an increase of 138 people since 2006. It is northeast of Hamilton and south of Thames. It sits at the f ...

and north-east of

Ngarua Ngarua is a rural community in the Matamata-Piako District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located south-east of Tatuanui, west of Morrinsville and north of Waharoa and Matamata on State Highway 27. The Tatua Dairy fact ...

, and includes part of the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roun ...

and some of the foothills of the

Kaimai Ranges The Kaimai Range (sometimes referred to as the ''Kaimai Ranges'') is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of a series of ranges, with the Coromandel Range to the north and the Mamaku Ranges to the south. The Kaimai R ...

. It features a bible chapel, a school, a

Playcentre Playcentre is an early childhood education and parenting organisation which operates parent-led early childhood education centres throughout New Zealand and offers parents the opportunity to gain a Certificate in ''Early Childhood and Adult Educat ...

for early childhood education, and a community hall that can accommodate up to 200 people.

Demographics

Manawaru is in an SA1 statistical area which covers . The SA1 area is part of the larger Waihou-Manawaru statistical area. The SA1 area had a population of 114 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 6 people (5.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 3 people (−2.6%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 42 households, comprising 54 males and 57 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female. The median age was 37.3 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 24 people (21.1%) aged under 15 years, 24 (21.1%) aged 15 to 29, 54 (47.4%) aged 30 to 64, and 9 (7.9%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.7% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 15.8%

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 C ...

, and 5.3% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 60.5% had no religion, 28.9% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and 2.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 18 (20.0%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (23.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $35,400, compared with $31,800 nationally. 18 people (20.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 57 (63.3%) people were employed full-time, 15 (16.7%) were part-time, and 6 (6.7%) were unemployed.

Waihou-Manawaru statistical area

The Waihou-Manawaru statistical area, which also includes

Waihou Waihou is a rural settlement in the Matamata-Piako District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on between Te Aroha and Morrinsville and west of the Waihou River. Waihou Recreational Reserve provides sporting faci ...

, covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Waihou-Manawaru had a population of 1,209 at the

, an increase of 78 people (6.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 39 people (3.3%) since the

. There were 429 households, comprising 627 males and 582 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.08 males per female. The median age was 39.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 264 people (21.8%) aged under 15 years, 201 (16.6%) aged 15 to 29, 552 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 186 (15.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 86.4% European/

, 12.7%

, 3.0% Pacific peoples, 6.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 3.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.6, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.3% had no religion, 29.8% were

, 0.2% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% were

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 0.5% were

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and 4.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 87 (9.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 285 (30.2%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $33,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 147 people (15.6%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 480 (50.8%) people were employed full-time, 168 (17.8%) were part-time, and 33 (3.5%) were unemployed.

History

In 1897, the New Zealand Dairy Association established Te Aroha creamery under the leadership of former Cornish bricklayer Samuel Whitburn. Two years later, Whitburn relocated the operation to Manawaru. The Manawaru Creamery was able to process up to 500 gallons per hour. By the 1900 dairy season it had fifteen suppliers and was processing the milk of about 400 cows. Cream was sent every day to Te Aroha railway station, where it was transported to

Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...

. In 1902, Manawaru was an established farming community receiving bi-weekly mail. One of the settlers at this time, Henry Osborne, was born in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and had lived in various places in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

before he started farming in Manawaru in 1900. There is a Roll of Honour at the Manawarū Hall to commemorate the 54 local men who served overseas during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It also includes a wooden tablet inset with the photographs of the four local men who died in action.

Education

Manawaru School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school was established in 1900 and celebrated its 75th jubilee in 1975.

School gates

Memorial gates were erected at the school in 2000. The left pillar bears a plaque for locals who served in overseas wars: The right pillar has a plaque, dedicated to the first European settlers to the area:

References

{{Matamata-Piako District Matamata-Piako District Populated places in Waikato