page_title: Palmerston North
section_title: The Square
hierarchical_section_title: Palmerston North / City facilities and attractions / The Square
caption_attribution_description: English: This bright building on the edge of the Palmerston North square is now known as "Square Edge". It used to be the PN Council Chambers (opened June 1945), and has retained much of its art deco style, with polished wooden floors and ornate ceilings. Square Edge Creative Centre has been the focus of artistic talent in PN for several decades. It's home to a number of artist studios, shops, an art gallery and performance/rehearsal spaces.
context_page_description: Palmerston North is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manawatu River, 35 km from the river's mouth, and 12 km from the end of the Manawatu Gorge, about 140 km north of the capital, Wellington. Palmerston North is the country's eighth-largest urban area, with an urban population of 80,300.
  The official limits of the city take in rural areas to the south, north-east, north-west and west of the main urban area, extending to the Tararua Ranges; including the town of Ashhurst at the mouth of the Manawatu Gorge, the villages of Bunnythorpe and Longburn in the north and west respectively. The city covers a land area of 395 square kilometres.
  The city's location was once little more than a clearing in a forest and occupied by small communities of Māori, who called it Papa-i-Oea, believed to mean "How beautiful it is". In the mid-19th century, it was settled by Europeans—originally by Scandinavians and, later, British colonists.
context_section_description: Originally part of the Papaioea clearing, The Square is a seven-hectare park of lawn, trees, lakes, fountains, and gardens in the centre of the city. It is the city's original park and also the centrepoint from whence the city's main streets are arranged.
  The Square contains the city's war memorial and a memorial dedicated to Te Peeti Te Awe Awe, the Rangitāne chief instrumental in the sale of Palmerston North district to the government in 1865.
  Near the centre of the park is the Clock Tower with its illuminated cross and coloured lights. Also here is the city's iSite, the Civic Building (seat of the City Council), the City Library, Square Edge and the commercial heart of Palmerston North's CBD. Retail stores (including the Plaza) and eateries line the road surrounding the park.
  In around 1878, a Māori contingent, including Te Awe Awe, gathered together to choose a Māori name for The Square. They chose Te Marae o Hine, meaning "The Courtyard of the Daughter of Peace". This name reflected their hope all people of all races would live together in enduring peace.
caption: Palmerston North, Square Edge
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