Manaia

The township is well serviced with a Four Square supermarket, café, health services and LibraryPlus, which provides both library and South Taranaki District Council services. Local families are catered for with a community preschool and Manaia School, providing education for Years 1–8.

Manaia has a strong sporting and recreational community, with facilities including a swimming pool, bowling and tennis clubs, and a golf club. The town also has a proud connection with Yarrows Family Bakers, a longstanding local business and significant employer with roots in Manaia dating back to 1923.

A unique piece of local history is the statue of George the Jack Russell, who was internationally recognised for his bravery after protecting five local children from a dog attack in 2007.

History: Only a small town, Manaia has its history still visible with the Manaia Redoubt still present.

Built around 1880 on the site of a former pa (Te Takahe) during peacetime, this redoubt and wooden watchtower was created for the passive resistance of the Parihaka chief, Te Whiti o Rongomai, and his followers. The wooden watchtower (35 feet high) was blown down in a storm and replaced in 1912 by a concrete one still standing today amidst the 18-hole golf course surrounded by two original blockhouses. Also, trenches surround the tower and blockhouses. It could house 160 men and all the timber used for the construction was pit sawn locally by the constables.

The golf course is one of the oldest in Taranaki, created around 1905.