Central Hub

Our physical location means we are the natural centre for many central to New Zealand life.

Manawatu is an established in the areas of Retail, Logistics & Distribution, Education & Defence, among others.

Retail:

Our retail offering through a mix of boutique and mall shopping attracts shoppers from all over the North Island.

Palmerston North hospital, associated health centres and nursing homes mean we are a significant centre for health, ensuring residents have access to care and also to a range of jobs in the health industry.

Logistics & Distribution:

Our skilled and experienced labour and easy physical connections to ports and the capital city Wellington mean that we are the distribution and logistics centre of choice.

Businesses such Toyota, Foodstuffs, Ezibuy, New Zealand Post have all recognized this and reap the business benefits daily, and have contributed to significant growth in this sector.

Almost 10% of jobs in our region are in this sector and these include wholesale, warehousing and transport roles. Increasingly smart use of systems, technologies and planning cements our efficiency as a logistics and supply chain hub.

Proximity to Palmerston North airport, which enjoys an unrivalled reputation for remaining open in most weather conditions, ensures efficient transfer of goods and is the icing on the cake of our logistics centre.

Education:

Across the education sector there are over 4500 jobs in our region as we are fortunate to be home to Massey University, Universal College of Learning, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, International Pacific College and a number of private tertiary education providers.

Each contributes to making us a centre of excellence for education in tertiary level. Our schools are second to none and offer a broad range of options from co-ed, single gender, private, public and boarding schools. The business of education is one we take very seriously in Manawatu.

Defence:

Home to RNZAF Base Ohakea and Linton Military camp, at the Massey University campus we also benefit from the Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

The economic benefits of these establishments go well beyond the salaries of the individual employees (although they are not insignificant at over $120 million.)

We welcome the defence staff to our region, and know that many choose to continue to live here, even after their military role is over. Locally, the Manawatu Defence Hub is a collective of businesses who serve the defence industry across a range of different supplies of goods and services.