About Levin

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Town and country

Levin is a rural town with a population of approximately 20,000.  The town is divided into two sections by the main trunk railway line and State Highway 1.  The catchment area of the school is bounded to the west by the Tasman Sea and to the east by the Tararua ranges.  The northern boundary is generally accepted to be the Manawatu River and Shannon town, with Ohau and Manakau to the south.

Horowhenua College is the larger, and elder, of the two co-educational colleges in the town and enjoys a close relationship with a strong and supportive community.  Levin has an Intermediate school, an integrated Catholic School and five Primary schools (three of which cater for pupils up to Year 8).  Students also feed into the College from the six outlying country primary schools.  The town has a Learning Centre catering for vocational courses.

Levin is seen as a good place to bring up young families.  It has a pleasant climate and misses the worst extremes of weather that occasionally affect the lower half of the North Island.

Approximately 33% of the population is Maori with Ngati Raukawa and Muaupoko being the dominant tribes.  There is also a significant number of Pacific Island 10% and Asian families 5%.

There is a strong horticulture-based industry, some light industry (including textile), as well as a commercial area.  The town services a substantial number of people in retirement.  Many of the town’s industries provide sponsorship to the College and also offer part-time employment to students.  Nevertheless, there is a degree of unemployment in the town and many young people leave Levin in search of employment and educational opportunities at the end of their secondary schooling.  There is a strong sporting culture in the town and the district has produced many top-ranked sports people.