Māori formed 19.7% of the population in central, 22.8% in east, 23.2% in south and 25.7% in west. Te Awamutu Museum was established in 1935. The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions focusing on the history of Te Awamutu and the surrounding area. There is also an exhibition, 'Everyone is here' focusing on Tim and Neil Finn, brothers and Te Awamutu natives, of the bands Split Enz and later Crowded House. The museum contains one of the most famous early Māori artifacts, a large carved post known simply as "Te Uenuku". This impressive carving has caused much controversy because its style is markedly different from any other early Māori work, yet it is clearly of a Māori design. Te Awamutu itself is located on SH3, one of the major routes used when touring the North Island of New Zealand. The town has three large supermarkets, electronics retailers, a well equipped sports / leisure centre and The Kihikihi Trail cycleway, which opened in 2017. The town has a large dairy factory, and serves as an important centre in the local dairy industry. Te Awamutu has two co-educational state primary schools: Te Awamutu Primary School, with a roll of  and Pekerau School with a roll of . Many of these students then progress on to Te Awamutu Intermediate, with a roll of , and Te Awamutu College, with a roll of . There are also three other schools in the town:   The town's best known residents are the Finn Brothers, Tim and Neil, whose musical careers have stretched from Split Enz through the internationally successful Crowded House to their current solo and collaborative works. The town is mentioned in Split Enz's song "Haul Away", and also in Crowded House's 1986 song "Mean to Me", the debut single from their self-titled debut album. Musician Spencer P. Jones (The Beasts of Bourbon, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls) was also born in Te Awamutu. Filmmaker and Bilbo double in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" series Hayden J. Weal was also born and raised here.