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Story: Manawatū and Horowhenua region

Manawatū and Horowhenua town populations, 1881–2013

Move the mouse over the lines on the graph to see the population figures. Click on a place name in the key to remove that line from the graph; click on the name again to restore it.

Palmerston North grew steadily until 1981, then more slowly until the 2000s. Feilding became more important than Foxton early on, but was overtaken by Levin in 1961. In recent decades all three towns have had static or declining populations, because of an economic downturn and the attraction of larger centres.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: New Zealand Yearbook and Statistics New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Manawatū and Horowhenua region – Population, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/9500/manawatu-and-horowhenua-town-populations-1881-2013 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 April 2015.