Te Awamutu

Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipā District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located around 30km south of Hamilton. The town is often referred to as "The Rose Town of New Zealand" because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of the town.

Tainui Māori first settled in the area in about 1450, according to noted Tainui historian Pei Te Hurinui-Jones. Te Awamutu means "the river cut short", as it marked the end of the navigable section of the Mangapiko Stream. Te Awamutu was the birthplace of the first Māori King, Pōtatau Te Wherowhero (died 1860).

The first European missionaries visited the area in 1834. A missionary settlement was set up by Benjamin Yate Ashwell of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). In 1842 the Rev. John Morgan moved to the Otawhao Mission Station, to the southwest of Te Awamutu. The CMS missionaries established a flourishing trade school that focused on developing agricultural skills. The missionaries introduced European crops such as wheat, potatoes and peaches. In 1846 Morgan provided advice and some capital to help local Māori to construct eight water mills to grind wheat into flour. He assisted in finding a suitable miller to operate the mills and to train Māori in this skill.

Te Awamutu was a major site during the New Zealand Wars of the 19th century, serving as a garrison town for the colonial settlers from 1864. European settlement began at the conclusion of the Waikato Wars (1863–1865).

The main thoroughfare is Alexandra Street, so named because it was once the main road to the town of Alexandra (since renamed to Pirongia to avoid confusion with the town of Alexandra in the South Island).