Geography
The area covered by the Manurewa Local Board includes a mixture of hills and Manukau Harbour coastline. It incorporates both the main suburb of Manurewa. and the surrounding suburbs of Manukau Heights, Totara Heights, Hillpark, Randwick Park, The Gardens, Alfriston, Wattle Downs, Weymouth, Clendon Park, Homai and Wiri.
There is an extensive range of shops along Great South Road, including Southmall Manurewa, while the Wiri industrial park is a major employment centre. Other features of the area include Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa Aquatic Centre and the Randwick Park.
Demographics
Manurewa Local Board Area covers 37.10 km2 (14.32 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 110,400 as of June 2025, with a population density of 2,976 people per km2.
Historical population| Year | | |
|---|
| 2006 | 77,190 | — |
|---|
| 2013 | 82,242 | +0.91% |
|---|
| 2018 | 95,670 | +3.07% |
|---|
| 2023 | 98,784 | +0.64% |
|---|
| Source: |
Manurewa Local Board Area had a population of 98,784 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 3,114 people (3.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 16,542 people (20.1%) since the 2013 census. There were 49,302 males, 49,233 females and 249 people of other genders in 25,938 dwellings. 2.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 31.0 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 24,000 people (24.3%) aged under 15 years, 23,682 (24.0%) aged 15 to 29, 41,994 (42.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 9,105 (9.2%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 24.5% European (Pākehā); 25.2% Māori; 39.9% Pasifika; 27.6% Asian; 2.1% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.1% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 90.7%, Māori language by 6.4%, Samoan by 13.4%, and other languages by 24.8%. No language could be spoken by 3.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 38.5, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 44.0% Christian, 8.1% Hindu, 3.1% Islam, 2.6% Māori religious beliefs, 1.5% Buddhist, 0.2% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 5.0% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 29.1%, and 6.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 11,724 (15.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 35,688 (47.7%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 27,378 (36.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,300, compared with $41,500 nationally. 4,629 people (6.2%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 37,782 (50.5%) people were employed full-time, 6,786 (9.1%) were part-time, and 3,870 (5.2%) were unemployed.
2025-2028 term
The current board members for the 2025-2028 term, elected at the 2025 local elections, are:
| Name |
Affiliation |
Position |
|---|
| Heather Andrew |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Chairperson |
| Italia Tipelu-Marsters |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Deputy Chairperson |
| Glenn Murphy |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Board member |
| Joseph Allan |
|
#LoveManurewa |
Board member |
| Rangi McLean |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Board member |
| Marshal Ahluwalia |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Board member |
| Phyllis Latu |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Board member |
| Raewyn Bhana |
|
Manurewa Action Team |
Board member |
|
In May 2026, Auckland Council referred board member Marshal Ahluwalia to the Serious Fraud Office following allegations of corruption and financial intimidation. Following this, Ahluwalia took a leave of absence before resuming his duties in late-June. In response to his return, Manurewa-Papakura councillors Daniel Newman and Matt Winiata said they would be boycotting the board's business meetings as long as Ahluwalia stayed on as a board member.
In August 2026, The New Zealand Herald reported that a whistleblower had made allegations of electoral fraud for the elections to the Manurewa local board during the 2025 elections to Auckland Council. The council passed the allegations onto the police and the Serious Fraud Office, and appointed independent governance observers Michael Barnett, former head of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and Tania Winslade to the Manurewa local board.
