Waverley is a town located in the South Taranaki District in New Zealand. It is 44 km northwest of Whanganui. Patea is 17 km to the west, and Waitōtara is 10 km to the southeast. State Highway 3 and the Marton - New Plymouth Line railway run through the town. History and culture Waverley was an important colonial stronghold during the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s, during which time the town was called Wairoa. The town is well known for its farming and thoroughbred stables. The race horse Kiwi was trained in the paddocks of a Waverley sheep farm by owner Snow Lupton and went on to go from last on the final bend to win the 1983 Melbourne Cup. Marae The local Te Wairoa-iti Marae and Maruata meeting house are a meeting place for Ngāti Tai, a hapū of Ngā Rauru Kītahi. Ironsand mining and renewable energy The Waipipi onshore ironsand mine operated near Waverley from 1971 to 1987, producing a total of 15.7 million tonnes of concentrate for export. The Waipipi site is now being developed for the Waipipi Wind Farm, with 31 turbines generating up to 133 MW. Demographics Waverley is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers . It is part of the wider Manutahi-Waitotora statistical area, which covers . The population of Waverley was 819 in the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 21 (2.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 39 (-4.5%) since the 2006 census. There were 408 males and 411 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. Ethnicities were 627 people (76.6%) European/Pākehā, 258 (31.5%) Māori, 27 (3.3%) Pacific peoples, and 15 (1.8%) Asian (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). Of the total population, 138 people (16.8%) were under 15 years old, 126 (15.4%) were 15–29, 354 (43.2%) were 30–64, and 201 (24.5%) were over 65. Manutahi-Waitotora Manutahi-Waitotora had a population of 1,980 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 12 people (-0.6%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 102 people (-4.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 834 households. There were 1,032 males and 948 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.09 males per female. The median age was 42.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 393 people (19.8%) aged under 15 years, 327 (16.5%) aged 15 to