Manawaru

Manawaru or Manawarū is a rural community in the Matamata-Piako District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.

It is located south-east of Te Aroha and north-east of Ngarua, and includes part of the Waihou River and some of the foothills of the Kaimai Ranges.

It features a bible chapel,[1] a school,[2] a Playcentre for early childhood education,[3] and a community hall that can accommodate up to 200 people.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

In 1902, Manawaru was an established farming community receiving bi-weekly mail.[7] One of the settlers at this time, Henry Osborne, was born in Geelong and had lived in various places in Victoria, New South Wales and Waikato before he started farming in Manawaru in 1900.[8]

There is a Roll of Honour at the Manawarū Hall to commemorate the 54 local men who served overseas during the Second World War.[9] It also includes a wooden tablet inset with the photographs of the four local men who died in action.[10]

Education

Manawaru School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,[2] with a roll of 85 as of March 2020.[11]

The school was established in 1900 and celebrated its 75th jubilee in 1975.[9]

School gates

Memorial gates were erected at the school in 2000.[10]

The left pillar bears a plaque for locals who served in overseas wars:

Manawaru remembers

those who served

and those whose lives were lost

in defence of our freedoms.

Lest we forget.

The right pillar has a plaque, dedicated to the first European settlers to the area:

In honoured memory

The pioneer settlers

of

Manawaru 1900-2000.

References
  1. "Manawaru Rural Bible Chapel". manawarubiblechapel.co.nz. Manawaru Rural Bible Chapel.
  2. "Ministry of Education School Profile". educationcounts.govt.nz. Ministry of Education.
  3. "Manawaru Playcentre". playcentre.org.nz. Playcentre.
  4. "Manawaru Hall". mpdc.govt.nz. Matamata-Piako District Council.
  5. "Mr Samuel Whitburn". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Cyclopedia Company Limited.
  6. "The Manawaru Creamery". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Cyclopedia Company Limited.
  7. "Manawaru". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Cyclopedia Company Limited.
  8. "Osborne, Henry Hewlitt". Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Cyclopedia Company Limited.
  9. Manawaru School and District 75th Jubilee. Te Aroha. 1975. pp. 35–36.
  10. "Manawarū roll of honour". nzhistory.govt.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  11. "Education Review Office Report". ero.govt.nz. Education Review Office.

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