Sanson is a small settlement in the Manawatū District of New Zealand. It is located just south of Bulls and the Rangitīkei River, and west of the city of Palmerston North.^[3]

Two major roads of the New Zealand state highway network meet in Sanson, State Highways 1 and 3. From 1885 until 1945, the Sanson Tramway provided a link with the national rail network, running south to meet the now-closed Foxton Branch in Himatangi.^[3]

European settlement in the area began with the New Zealand Government's sale of the Sandon Block in the late 1860s. The block was designated an urban township rather than a rural block, as soldiers were not permitted to buy urban land.^[3]

The Sandon block was settled from the Hutt Valley,^[3] and named after Hutt Small Farm Association secretary Henry Sanson.^[4]

A photo in the National Library of New Zealand shows the settlement in the 1870s, with a few houses, a church and some other buildings on a single main road.^[5] Another photograph shows the church alongside a two-storied house, with a picket fence and a horse tied to a gate.^[6]

The township of Sanson was the terminus of a tramway, with ran from a junction with the railway line at Hīmatangi from 1883 to 1945.^[3]

The tram line is depicted in a photograph in the early 20th century. On one side of the tram line are wooden buildings; on the other is an unpaved street, a two-storey store, and a local hotel.^[7]

By 2006, the town was a highway stop with several craft and antique shops.^[3]

Sanson is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 0.60 km² (0.23 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 670 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 1,117 people per km². It is part of the larger Ohakea-Sanson statistical area.

Sanson had a population of 582 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 45 people (8.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 90 people (18.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 237 households, comprising 309 males and 276 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.12 males per female, with 120 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 87 (14.9%) aged 15 to 29, 288 (49.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 93 (16.0%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 84.0% European/Pākehā, 26.3% Māori, 3.6% Pacific peoples, 4.6% Asian, and 3.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 58.2% had no religion, 25.3% were Christian, 3.6% had Māori religious beliefs, 2.1% were Muslim and 3.1% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 30 (6.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 126 (27.3%) people had no formal qualifications. 39 people (8.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 249 (53.9%) people were employed full-time, 69 (14.9%) were part-time, and 21 (4.5%) were unemployed.^[8]

Sanson School, having relocated in 1991 to what was the Manawatu County Council building (which upon moving premises, later to become the Manawatu District Council in Feilding) lies at the southern end of the township off State Highway 1. The school is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students,^[11][12] with a roll of 13 as of February 2024.^[13]

At the front of the old Sanson School building, located on State Highway 3 on the western boundary of the township (Dundas Road) is the Sanson Memorial Gate; erected to the memory of soldiers who died in World War I. It was unveiled on 31 August 1924 and lists the names of twelve deceased soldiers.^[14]

The nearest secondary school (year 9–13) is Feilding High School, 17 km (11 mi) away in Feilding.