The industrial and commercial suburb of Wiri lies to the east and south.

The results were 17.8% European (Pākehā); 12.9% Māori; 26.6% Pasifika; 51.9% Asian; 2.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander".

The percentage of people born overseas was 54.3, compared with 28.8% nationally.

[6] Of those at least 15 years old, 621 (20.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,287 (42.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 1,146 (37.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications.

Its transition from farmland was driven by Manukau City Council, which formed in 1965 and purchased land there in 1966 for the development of an administrative and commercial centre.

[10] The Rainbow's End theme park opened just south of the city centre in 1982.

The suburb, since November 2010, is in the Manukau ward, one of the thirteen electoral divisions of Auckland Council.

[12] It has a lettable area of 45,236 m2, and has 2,113 carparks and 187 shops, including Farmers, Countdown, JB Hi-Fi and Event Cinemas.

Eastern Line train services carry passengers between Manukau Railway Station and central Auckland's Britomart Transport Centre.

Adjacent to the train station is the Manukau bus station (opened April 2018), connecting southern and eastern suburbs and a stop for inter-city services.