Dannevirke (lit. "work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; Māori: Taniwaka or Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua, the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New Zealand. It is the main centre of the Tararua District.

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Dannevirke Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua
Dannevirke High Street in May 2016
Coordinates: 40°12′22″S 176°05′58″E
Country	New Zealand
Region	Manawatū-Whanganui
Territorial authority	Tararua District
Ward	North Tararua General Ward Tamaki nui-a Rua Maori Ward
Community	Dannevirke Community
Electorates	Wairarapa Ikaroa-Rāwhiti (Māori)
Government
• Territorial Authority	Tararua District Council
• Regional council	Horizons Regional Council
Area [1]
• Total	6.82 km2 (2.63 sq mi)
Population  (June 2023)[2]
• Total	5,640
• Density	830/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4930

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The surrounding area, a catchment and source of the Manawatū River (approximately 20 Min drive north of town) has developed into dairy, beef cattle and sheep farming, which now provides the major income for the town's population of 5,640.

Before European settlers arrived in the 1870s, the line of descent for Māori in the area was from the Kurahaupō waka. The tribe of the area is Rangitāne, with geographic distinction to Te Rangiwhakaewa in the immediate Dannevirke region. The first known 'Aotea' meeting house was established approximately 15 generations ago (from 2010) followed by the building of a marae at Makirikiri near Dannevirke at about the same time as the first Nordic settlers arrived from Napier and Hawkes Bay.^{[citation needed]}

The town was founded on 15 October 1872 by Danish, Norwegian and Swedish settlers, adherents of Scandinavism, who arrived at the port of Napier and moved inland. The settlers, who arrived under the Public Works Act, built their initial settlement in a clearing of the Seventy Mile Bush.^[3]

The Dannevirke after which the town was named is an extensive Viking Age fortification line in Denmark which had a strong emotive symbolic role for 19th-century Danes, especially after the site had fallen into German hands in the German-Danish War of 1864 – a recent and very painful event for these settlers. The settlement quickly earned the nickname of "sleeper town", as the town's purpose was to provide tōtara sleepers for the Napier–Wellington railway line. At one stage the area had 50 operating sawmills. After the native bush was cleared, the land was turned into pasture for grazing animals.^[4]

On 27 October 1917, much of the town's business district was destroyed by fire. The fire had started in the Andrew's Hotel on the corner of High and Station Streets at about 2pm. Flames blew across the road engulfing the Dannevirke Co-operative Association's store. As the fire spread through adjoining shops another hotel, the Masonic was engulfed. By about 5pm the Dannevirke and Woodville Fire Brigades, along with assistance from the local community had brought the fires under control. In total 27 business premises and 2 hotels were destroyed with damage estimated at £200,000.^[5]

Dannevirke covers 6.82 km² (2.63 sq mi)^[1] and had an estimated population of 5,640 as of June 2023,^[2] with a population density of 827 people per km².

Dannevirke had a population of 5,508 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 429 people (8.4%) since the 2013 census, and a decrease of 51 people (−0.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 2,178 households, comprising 2,613 males and 2,892 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.9 males per female, with 1,137 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 978 (17.8%) aged 15 to 29, 2,166 (39.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,233 (22.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 75.2% European/Pākehā, 33.1% Māori, 2.3% Pasifika, 3.9% Asian, and 1.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 8.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 46.8% had no religion, 37.1% were Christian, 5.9% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% were Hindu, 0.6% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 330 (7.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,380 (31.6%) people had no formal qualifications. 255 people (5.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,743 (39.9%) people were employed full-time, 666 (15.2%) were part-time, and 204 (4.7%) were unemployed.^[6]

Dannevirke has three marae (tribal meeting grounds) of the Rangitāne tribe and its hapū (sub-tribes); each marae has a wharenui (meeting house). Kaitoki marae is affiliated with the Ngāti Pakapaka and Ngāti Te Rangiwhakaewa hapū, and includes the Kaitoki Memorial Hall. Mākirikiri marae is affiliated with Ngāti Mutuahi and Ngāti Te Rangiwhakaewa hapū, and includes the Aotea Tuatoru wharenui. Whiti te Rā marae, also known as Poherau marae, is affiliated with Ngāti Mutuahi hapū, and includes Whiti te Rā wharenui.^[11][12]

Totara College hosts the Dannevirke Garden and Craft Expo, an annual event that has grown to a considerable size.

Dannevirke has produced a number of sports men and women in a number of different disciplines, among them rugby player John Timu, who made New Zealand teams in both union and league. Ewen Chatfield, who was an important member of the successful New Zealand cricket team of the 1980s Hadlee-Coney-Crowe era, is from Dannevirke, as is former All Black Duncan Hales, who now resides in the United States.

Other Dannevirke All Blacks were Colin Loader (1950s), Blair Furlong (1970 to South Africa), Lui Paewai who is widely acknowledged as the youngest All Black in history at just 17 years old (1924 Invincibles) and whose brother, nephews and grand-nephews (Doc, Hepa, Nathan and Murdoch respectively) went on to have good careers for Hawkes Bay and the New Zealand Maori side, and Roy White (post-war All Black in 1946 and 1947). Other All Blacks who spent time in Dannevirke included 1981 All Black tourist to Romania and France Wayne Neville, who attended Dannevirke High School, and John Ashworth, who moved from Canterbury to a farm near Dannevirke late in his career.

The Dannevirke Sports Club and Aotea Sports Club are the major outlets for sport in the town with netball, cricket and soccer teams as well as a rugby team that compete in the Premier Manawatu Senior Competition and the Hawke's Bay 1st Division.

Dannevirke has an Oceanic climate, (Köppen:Cfb).^[13] Due its high altitude the summer temperatures are often cooler compared to other Eastern North Island towns, such as Masterton, Napier and Gisborne, while in winter Dannevirke can regularly experience frosts as in other parts of New Zealand. Snow is rare, the latest snow to hit Dannevirke was 15 August 2011.^[14]

Dannevirke High School is the town's co-educational state secondary school,^[16][17] with a roll of 440 as of February 2024.^[18]

Dannevirke has three co-educational state primary schools: Dannevirke South School,^[19][20] with a roll of 247,^[21] Huia Range School,^[22][23] with a roll of 233,^[24] and Ruahine School,^[25][26] with a roll of .^[27]

St Joseph's School is a co-educational state Catholic primary school,^[28] with a roll of 138.^[29]

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tamaki Nui A Rua is a co-educational Year 1–13 Māori language immersion school,^[30] with a roll of 85.^[31]

Totara College of Accelerated Learning is a co-educational state-integrated Year 1–13 school,^[32] with a roll of 57.^[33]

• Lyndon Buckingham, 22nd General of the Salvation Army
• Sir William Ian Axford – Space Scientist^[34]
• Bob Bell – Farmer at Ākitio (Marainanga Station), Owner of the Ruahine Club, and Ruahine Lodge (Dannevike), and campaigner of the famous Condor Yachting campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s.^{[citation needed]}
• Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen – Australian politician and Premier of Queensland
• Victor Bleasdale – Brigadier General, US Marine Corps, awarded Navy Cross twice for heroism in World War 1^[35]
• Rangi Chase – Rugby league player, capped for England
• Ewen Chatfield – New Zealand test cricketer
• Peter Connell – Irish cricketer
• Peter Cullinane – Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Palmerston North
• Lauris Edmond – New Zealand poet
• Blair Furlong – New Zealand international rugby player
• Bryan Gould – Rhodes Scholar, Deputy Leader of the British Labour Party, Dux of Dannevirke High School.
• Duncan Hales – New Zealand international rugby player
• Aaron Hape – Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
• Weller Hauraki – Rugby league player
• Jack Kerr – New Zealand test cricketer
• Charlotte Kight – Of Ākitio b. Dannevirke, Silver Fern Netballer.
• Phil Lamason – World War II pilot
• Megan Larsen – organic skincare entrepreneur^[36][37]
• Colin Loader – New Zealand international rugby player
• Sue McCauley – Playwright, author of 'Other Halves'^[38]
• Robin Maconie – composer, pianist, and writer
• Clint Newland – Rugby union player
• W. H. Oliver – historian and poet
• Lui Paewai – New Zealand international rugby player, youngest All Black ever
• Murray Parker – New Zealand test and one-day cricketer
• Bill Phillips – New Zealand and Australian economist, creator of the Phillips curve^[39]
• Sir Alfred Ransom (1868–1943), Mayor of Dannevirke (1910–1919) and Member of Parliament (1922–1943)^[40]
• Hans Madsen Ries (1860–1926), Mayor of Dannevirke (1903–1905, 1906–1910)^[41]
• Luke Ronchi – Dual international (Australia and New Zealand) T20, one-day and test cricketer
• Katrina Shanks – Politician, Member of Parliament
• John Timu – Dual rugby and rugby league international
• Joe Ward – Rugby union player
• Sonny Wool – Psychic sheep of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (b. Dannevirke)