Map of Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is a first-level division of New Zealand. Its largest mapped city is Wellington, with about 393,400 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Manawatu-Wanganui, and the tables list its 6 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 6
- Largest City
- Wellington
- Country
- New Zealand
- Highest Point Mapped
- 2,518 m
Interactive Map of Manawatu-Wanganui
About Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatū-Whanganui ([manawaˈtʉː ˈˀwaŋanʉi]; spelled Manawatu-Wanganui prior to 2019) is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council, which operates under the name Horizons Regional Council. The region covers over 22,000 square kilometres (13,670.166 mi), making it the sixth largest region by area in the country and is home to 261,100 residents.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Manawatū-Whanganui (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Manawatu-Wanganui in Depth
History
Pre-1769 Approximately 3% of Māori lived in the Whanganui Basin and 8% on the Taranaki coast. Coastal Māori garden and gather food but life for Māori further inland is more difficult, relying on hunting and gathering.
1820–40 Ngāti Toa and Te Āti Awa iwi displace local iwi from their lands.
1830 Te Rauparaha (Ngāti Toa) lay siege to Pūtiki Pā in retaliation for an attack on Kapiti Island, sacking the pā and killing its inhabitants.
1831 European traders arrive in the Whanganui area, led by Joe Rowe, supposedly a dealer in preserved heads (moko mokai). A dispute with local Māori leads to the death of three of his party and his own head is cut off and preserved.
Geography
The region is dominated and defined by two significant river catchments, the Whanganui and the Manawatu. The Whanganui River, in the northwest, is the longest navigable river in New Zealand. The river was extremely important to early Māori as it was the southern link in a chain of waterways that spanned almost two-thirds of the North Island. It was one of the chief areas of Māori settlement with its easily fortified cliffs and ample food supplies. Legends emphasise the importance of the river and it remains sacred to Whanganui iwi. Māori along the coast and lowland plains grew kūmara and other crops. The Manawatū River runs across the centre of the region, from rolling hill country in the east to the fertile Manawatū Plains in the west.
Economy
The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Manawatū-Whanganui was estimated at NZ$11.60 billion in the year to March 2019, 3.8% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita was estimated at $46,764 in the same period. In the year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $1.26 billion (11.5%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $2.01 billion (18.3%), service industries contributed $6.76 billion (61.6%), and taxes and duties contributed $942 million (8.6%).
equivalents (FTEs). The percentage of businesses engaged in manufacturing was slightly higher than the national average and manufacturing employed the greatest number of people (12,830 FTEs).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Manawatū-Whanganui (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Manawatu-Wanganui: Key Facts
| Population | 260,700 (2025) |
|---|---|
| Area | 22,215 km² |
| Capital | Palmerston North |
| Established | 1989 |
Facts from Wikidata Q139907 (CC0).
History of Manawatu-Wanganui: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Manawatu-Wanganui, from British Colonial Empire in 1840 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| British Colonial Empire | 1840–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1840–1957 CE |
| New Zealand | 1948–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Manawatu-Wanganui
6 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington | 393,400 | Manawatu-Wanganui | National capital |
| 2 | Palmerston North | 82,400 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
| 3 | Wanganui | 43,200 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Upper Hutt | 39,200 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
| 5 | Masterton | 20,200 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
| 6 | Levin | 19,550 | Manawatu-Wanganui | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Manawatu-Wanganui
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Taranaki | 2,518 m | 8,261 ft | Oceania |
Largest Lakes in Manawatu-Wanganui
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Wairarapa | 67 km² | Lake |
Ports in Manawatu-Wanganui
4 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wanganui | 53 m | Very Small | Australia & New Zealand | medium vessels |
| 2 | Nelson | 45.7 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
| 3 | Wellington | 38.4 m | Major | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
| 4 | Picton | 31.1 m | Small | Australia & New Zealand | large vessels |
Manawatu-Wanganui: Quick Answers
- Where is Manawatu-Wanganui?
- Manawatu-Wanganui is a first-level division of New Zealand, in Oceania. Its mapped cities centre on 40.7128° S, 175.2303° E.
- What is the largest city in Manawatu-Wanganui?
- Wellington is the largest city mapped in Manawatu-Wanganui, with a metropolitan population of about 393,400.
- How many cities are in Manawatu-Wanganui?
- YearMaps maps 6 cities and towns in Manawatu-Wanganui, with a combined metropolitan population of about 597,950. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Manawatu-Wanganui?
- The highest summit mapped in Manawatu-Wanganui is Mount Taranaki at 2,518 m.
- What is the largest lake in Manawatu-Wanganui?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Manawatu-Wanganui is Lake Wairarapa, at about 67 km².