Manawatū

Central, flat and easy to get around

Manawatū sits in the middle of the lower North Island around Palmerston North. University city, a hospital with a regional cancer service, and one of the more practical places in the country to raise a family on a doctor's roster.

Manawatū at a glance

Main centres:
Palmerston North, Levin, Feilding, Dannevirke

Population:
Regional population: 192,200
Largest urban centre: 99,300

Health district:
MidCentral

Main hospital:
Palmerston North Hospital

Summer average high:
23°C in January

Winter average high:
13°C in July

Sunshine:
1,730 hours a year

Rainfall:
970 mm a year

Living in Manawatū, central, practical and easy to get around

Palmerston North is the main centre, out on the Manawatū plains with the Tararua Range on the skyline. Levin, Feilding and Dannevirke cover the districts around it.

Massey University is here, which gives the city a younger population and more going on than a town this size would otherwise manage.

Being central is the practical bit. Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki and the Wairarapa are all in reach, which helps when family is spread out.

Palmerston North Hospital and the regional cancer service

Palmerston North Hospital covers the MidCentral district. It has an emergency department, a secondary birthing unit, a renal specialist care unit, and it hosts the Regional Cancer Treatment Service.

Dannevirke Community Hospital and the Horowhenua Health Centre at Levin provide services closer to the smaller communities. Neither has an emergency department.

The cancer service pulls a catchment wider than the district, which lifts the complexity of some of the work above what the city's size would suggest.

Moving to Palmerston North with family

Palmerston North is flat, which makes it one of the easier New Zealand cities to cycle. Commutes are short and parking isn't a daily negotiation.

Housing goes further than the main centres and the schooling options are broad for a city this size, helped along by the university.

If you're coming from a big city and want the logistics of family life to get simpler, this region does that as well as anywhere.

The fuller picture

The Tararua and Ruahine ranges, Te Āpiti Manawatū Gorge and the beaches of the Horowhenua coast are all close by for walking, biking and weekends away.

Palmerston North Airport has direct flights to Auckland and Christchurch, and the city's central location makes it an easy base for exploring the lower North Island.

Health New Zealand describes what Palmerston North Hospital runs rather than giving it a tertiary label. The most complex work outside the cancer service is referred to larger centres.

Talk to us about Manawatū

We'll work through whether Palmerston North or one of the smaller centres suits you better, and what each means for your practice. For international doctors, registration, immigration and settling in sit alongside the role conversation.

Talk to our team

What doctors ask us about Manawatū

Talk to us about working in the Manawatū

What services are at Palmerston North Hospital?

An emergency department, a secondary birthing unit, a renal specialist care unit, and the Regional Cancer Treatment Service, which draws a catchment wider than the district itself.

Is Palmerston North a good place to live with a family?

It's flat, easy to get around, and housing goes further than the main centres.

The university gives the city a wider range of schooling and activity than its size would suggest, and commutes are short.

What is the MidCentral district?

MidCentral is the Health New Zealand district covering the Manawatū, Horowhenua and Tararua districts, with Palmerston North Hospital as its main hospital.