Manurewa

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Manurewa is a major suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand. It was part of Manukau City before the creation of the Auckland super city in 2010. It is located 6km south of the Manukau City Centre, and 26km southeast of Auckland CBD.Manurewa is Māori for "drifting kite". The name refers to a kite flying competition where a kite line was severed and drifted away. The kite's owner was the chief Tamapahore who had a pā (fortified village) on Matuku-tururu (Wiri Mountain). The name Manurewa commemorates the incident by the name.Manurewa has a high proportion of non-European ethnicities, making it one of the most multi-cultural suburbs in New Zealand. Employment for many is at the many companies of nearby Wiri, Papakura, and at the steel mill at Glenbrook.Manurewa's main shopping centre, Southmall, is located on the Great South Road. The suburb is bisected by the Auckland Southern Motorway. Real estate values in Manurewa vary greatly.Manurewa is the home of Auckland Botanic Gardens which receives over a million visitors a year.Sport and recreationRugby UnionThe Manurewa Rugby Football Club is based at Mountfort Park Manurewa. They were founded in 1921 and now play within the Counties Manukau Rugby Union Club competition and are one of the biggest and most successful Rugby clubs within the region. They have a large junior section plus and string Golden Oldies Section made up of many past players. They also have associated sports of AFL, Netball & Softball operating within the club. They were originally based at Jellicoe Park in Manurewa and had a club rooms affectionately known as the "Old Black Shed". They built the new clubrooms at Mountfort Park and moved to this site officially in 1978. Notable current Super 15 Chiefs players Tim Nanai-Williams and Bundee Aki are former Manurewa Rugby Club players.