Manawaru or Manawarū is a rural community in the Matamata-Piako District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.

It is located south-east of Te Aroha and north-east of Ngarua, and includes part of the Waihou River and some of the foothills of the Kaimai Ranges.

It features a bible chapel,[3] a school,[4] a Playcentre for early childhood education,[5] and a community hall that can accommodate up to 200 people.

[8] In 1897, the New Zealand Dairy Association established Te Aroha creamery under the leadership of former Cornish bricklayer Samuel Whitburn.

Cream was sent every day to Te Aroha railway station, where it was transported to Ngāruawāhia.

[11] One of the settlers at this time, Henry Osborne, was born in Geelong and had lived in various places in Victoria, New South Wales and Waikato before he started farming in Manawaru in 1900.

[12] There is a Roll of Honour at the Manawarū Hall to commemorate the 54 local men who served overseas during the Second World War.

[13] It also includes a wooden tablet inset with the photographs of the four local men who died in action.