Manawatū is the perfect place for your business to grow. In our region, you’ll get access to a strong and highly skilled labour pool, as well as thriving industries and business networks. There’s plenty of available land, and our location gives us close ties to the rest of the North Island.

Situated in the heart of the Lower North Island, Manawatū offers exceptional accessibility, with Wellington, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, and Taupō all within easy travelling distance. We also have an extensive network of rail, road, and air transportation options, offering seamless logistic options for your business.

Our region hosts a thriving contingent of logistics, manufacturing, distribution, government-funded and agri-science industries. Manawatū is home to a number of national and global organisations, including Toyota NZ, DKSH, Norwood, Fonterra Global Research & Development Centre, ProFab Engineering, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Pharmaceuticals, FoodStuffs, Primary Connect (Countdown), Plant and Food Research, Nexus Logistics, and more. Our mix of multinational and national companies, start-ups, research institutes, educational organisations, defence forces and public agencies creates a great environment for innovation and collaboration. Discover more about our Sectors of Strength.

In our wider region we have a labour pool of over one million people, including a highly skilled workforce comprising graduates and experienced professionals. This means you're sure to find the right people to help your business thrive here.

But it's not just our strong business community that sets Manawatū apart. Our affordable and laid-back lifestyle allows you and your employees to enjoy a healthy work-life balance. Have the best of both worlds. Find out more about the best of both worlds.

Our central location plus Te Utanganui, is a unique multi modal distribution consisting of rail, road, air, and sea connections, make doing business, fostering connections and getting around the rest of New Zealand easy. In an environment that caters to a positive work-life balance, it’s easy to discover why Manawatū is brilliant for business.

Get to know your business community

Connect with other business leaders by registering for our upcoming networking events.

• Upcoming Events – Manawatu Chamber of Commerce
• Business Professional - Feilding Manawatu NZ

What it’s like doing business in Manawatū

Explore inspiring success stories from our Manawatū business community and spark ideas for your next venture.

See it for yourself! CEDA has worked with many local business to showcase why Manawatū is a great place to live, work and do business. Check out the real life stories of our people and businesses. 

Ready to make the move? It’s time to build up your workforce. Check out our recruitment resources here.

What Palmerston North and Manawatū offer is unique and the logistics of Manawatū just make sense

The universal enthusiasm from business and local government for making the region successful is like nothing I've seen anywhere else. It's a very vibrant, positive, enthusiastic place with councils and agencies who are actually prepared to invest in people to make sure that they're successful and that’s exactly the environment that we want for our company. 

Nexus Logistics Ltd has now been operating from Palmerston North for five years, choosing the location over other regions in New Zealand. 

Have questions about doing business in Manawatū?
We can help - come and see our team.