Manakau

Manakau is a settlement situated in the Horowhenua District, located at the boundary of the Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington regions of New Zealand's North Island. It lies 8 km north of Ōtaki and 12 km south of Levin, and is connected to both via State Highway 1, which skirts Manakau's western edge. The township is situated 5 km inland from the coast of the Tasman Sea.

In 1886, Manakau became the first place to have a railway station on the newly completed Wellington-Manawatu railway line. Although the line is now part of the North Island Main Trunk line, but the station itself has long been closed. Industries in the area include horticulture, and there are several plant nurseries in or close to the township.

The name Manakau comes from the Māori words mana (prestige, authority) and kau (alone, sole). The name refers to an invasion of the district by notable tribal leader Te Rauparaha, who subdued the area on the strength of his prestige alone, with the local residents putting up no resistance. The streets are named after Māori members of Parliament.

Marae
Manakau has two marae, affiliated with local hapū from the Ngāti Raukawa iwi. Tūkorehe Marae and its meeting house of the same name are affiliated with the hapū of Ngāti Tūkorehe; Wehi Wehi Marae and its meeting house of the same name are affiliated with the hapū of Ngāti Wehi Wehi.

In October 2020, the Government committed $482,108 from the Provincial Growth Fund to Ngāti Tūkorehe to upgrade its Tūkorehe Marae, creating 17.5 positions.

Demographics
Manakau is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 5.66 km2. It had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2. It is part of the wider Ōhau-Manakau statistical area.

Manakau had a population of 426 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 93 people (27.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 84 people (24.6%) since the 2006 census. There were 174 households, comprising 204 males and 219 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.93 males per female, with 66 people (15.5%) aged under 15 years, 48 (11.3%) aged 15 to 29, 186 (43.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 120 (28.2%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 85.9% European/Pākehā, 19.0% Māori, 1.4% Pasifika, 4.2% Asian, and 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 57.0% had no religion, 32.4% were Christian, 1.4% were Buddhist and 0.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 60 (16.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 72 (20.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 54 people (15.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 171 (47.5%) people were employed full-time, 63 (17.5%) were part-time, and 9 (2.5%) were unemployed.

Education
Manakau School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of  as of. The school was founded in 1888.