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Is Manawatū-Whanganui Safe? Safest & Least Safe Suburbs

Manawatū-Whanganui's safest suburb is Mount Taylor (safety score 99/100, 8.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year). The least safe is Palmerston North Central (0/100, 2,539.1 per 1,000). 23 of 131 ranked Manawatū-Whanganui suburbs score 70 or higher.

How the safety score works

Safest suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui

  1. 1.Mount Taylor 99/100 · 8.3 per 1k
  2. 2.Otamatea (Whanganui District) 96/100 · 8.8 per 1k
  3. 3.Mowhanau 92/100 · 13 per 1k
  4. 4.Owahanga 92/100 · 16 per 1k
  5. 5.Aokautere Rural 91/100 · 10.6 per 1k
  6. 6.Parewanui 89/100 · 8.3 per 1k
  7. 7.Mokai Patea 89/100 · 17.2 per 1k
  8. 8.Springvale East 89/100 · 11.4 per 1k
  9. 9.Miranui 83/100 · 13.9 per 1k
  10. 10.Fitzherbert 81/100 · 13 per 1k
Top 20 safest suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui →

Least safe suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui

  1. 1.Palmerston North Central 0/100 · 2,539.1 per 1k
  2. 2.Whanganui Central 0/100 · 1,384.7 per 1k
  3. 3.Levin Central 1/100 · 560.8 per 1k
  4. 4.Feilding Central 2/100 · 642.1 per 1k
  5. 5.College Estate 3/100 · 216 per 1k
  6. 6.Tararua 4/100 · 233.8 per 1k
  7. 7.Laird Park 5/100 · 108 per 1k
  8. 8.Taumarunui Central 7/100 · 104 per 1k
  9. 9.Papaioea South 7/100 · 108.5 per 1k
  10. 10.Takaro North 8/100 · 112.7 per 1k

Town centres and retail hubs rank low because theft is recorded where it happens, not where offenders live.

Manawatū-Whanganui safety FAQ

Is Manawatū-Whanganui safe?

Manawatū-Whanganui's safest suburb is Mount Taylor (safety score 99/100, 8.3 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year). The least safe is Palmerston North Central (0/100, 2,539.1 per 1,000). 23 of 131 ranked Manawatū-Whanganui suburbs score 70 or higher.

What is the safest suburb in Manawatū-Whanganui?

Mount Taylor, with a safety score of 99/100. The next safest are Otamatea (Whanganui District), Mowhanau, Owahanga.

Which suburbs in Manawatū-Whanganui have the most crime?

Palmerston North Central (2,539.1 per 1,000), Whanganui Central (1,384.7 per 1,000), Levin Central (560.8 per 1,000). Town centres and retail hubs rank low because shoplifting and other theft is recorded where it happens.

How are Manawatū-Whanganui suburbs ranked?

By SafeSuburbs Safety Score, which weights each NZ Police recorded victimisation by harm (NZ Crime Harm Index) per 1,000 residents (2023 Census). Areas with fewer than 500 residents, with no crime records matched to them yet, or whose Police records stop partway through the period (usually a redrawn boundary) are listed but not ranked.

All Manawatū-Whanganui suburbs

Showing 143 suburbs, safest first.