Papaoiea Palmerston North City Council

Palmerston North Te Papaioea (or colloquially, Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manawatū River. It is the eighth-largest urban area in the country, with an urban population of 81,200 (as of June 2022).

Prior to colonisation a regional iwi, Ngāti Rangitāne, knew the area as Te Ahu-ā-Tūranga, with Papaioea being a clearing in the forest. The land was acquired by the Crown and a settlement was planned between 1864 and 1866. The name Palmerston North was adoptd in 1873.

J.T. Stewart's city design included a grid of streets and a large central square which, in 1878, Rangitāne and Ngāti Raukawa iwi suggested be named Te Marae o Hine but to no avail.

Massey University was founded there in 1926, and a military camp at Linton was established between 1941 and 1945. The form of "[m]odern-day Palmerston North dates from 1963, when the railway through the Square was moved to the outskirts." (McKinnon)

See also:

• Palmerston North Te Papaioea | Palmy Art Map
• Malcolm McKinnon, 'Manawatū and Horowhenua places - Palmerston North', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.