Te Manawa — "the heart" in te reo Māori — is the city's flagship cultural institution, combining a regional museum, an art gallery, and an interactive science centre under a single roof. The museum collection focuses on the Manawatū region: Rangitāne taonga, colonial-era farming, the railway, and the history of the city itself.
The art gallery's collection is particularly strong in New Zealand contemporary work and rotates regularly through new exhibitions. The Mind science centre, on the same site, is one of the best of its kind in the country and runs school-holiday programmes that fill the place with kids. The whole complex shares a building with the New Zealand Rugby Museum, making it possible to visit both in a single afternoon. Entry to the museum and gallery is free; the science centre charges admission.