Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

, a region separated from

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

by the

Rimutaka The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east c ...

ranges. It stands on the Waipoua stream between the Ruamahunga and Waingawa Rivers - 100 kilometres north-east of Wellington and 39.4 kilometres south of Eketahuna. Masterton has an urban population of , and district population of Masterton

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

es include services for surrounding

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

s. Three new industrial parks are being developed in Waingawa, Solway and Upper Plain. The town functions as the headquarters of the annual

Golden Shears The Golden Shears International Shearing and Woolhandling Championships is the world's most prestigious sheep shearing event. It was founded in Masterton, New Zealand, and been held in the town's War Memorial Stadium each March since 1961. It in ...

sheep-shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

competition.

Suburbs

Masterton suburbs include: *

Lansdowne Lansdowne or Lansdown may refer to: People * Lansdown Guilding (1797–1831), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines naturalist and engraver *Fenwick Lansdowne (1937–2008), Canadian wildlife artist * George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne (1666–1735) ...

, Te Ore Ore on the northern side * Eastside and Homebush on the eastern side *

Upper Plain Fernridge is a small rural settlement located 4 km northwest of Masterton, New Zealand. The area has a mixture of farms, horticultural smallholdings and lifestyle blocks. Demographics Upper Plain statistical area, which also includes Kait ...

, Fernridge,

Ngaumutawa Ngaumutawa is a suburb of Masterton, New Zealand. Ngaumutawa is a Māori language word meaning an oven of the Beilschmiedia tawa, tawa tree. Ngaumutawa was a Māori village or pā in 1853. The Native Land Court assigned title to the land in 18 ...

, Akura and

Masterton West Masterton West is a suburb of Masterton, a town on New Zealand's North Island. It includes Renall Street railway station and the Douglas Parks sports group. Air quality in Masterton West exceeded World Health Organization guidelines for 28 day ...

on the western side * Kuripuni and Solway on the southern side

History and culture

Early history

Masterton was founded in 1854 by the Small Farms Association. The association was led by Joseph Masters – after whom the town was named – and aimed to settle working people in villages and on the land. At first Masterton grew slowly, but as its farming hinterland became more productive it began to prosper. In the 1870s it overtook Greytown as Wairarapa's major town. It became a borough in 1877 and was reached by the railway line from Wellington in 1880. The railway became for a time the main line from Wellington to the north of New Zealand and its arrival cemented the town's position as the Wairarapa region's main market and distribution centre. Waipoua timber mill was producing butter boxes as early as 1884. In April 1965 one of the country's worst industrial accidents occurred at the General Plastics Factory on 170 Dixon Street. Masterton Railway Station c.1887 - c.1915 (10469055393).jpg, The railway station opened 1880, demolished 1967 Queen Elizabeth II standing on platform of her railway carriage at Masterton. PHOTOGRAPHER J.F. Le Cren DATE 15 January 1954 (cropped).jpg, Railway station, 15 January 1954 Queen Street, Masterton (21320336331) (cropped).jpg, Queen Street in the early 1900s 1912 Post Office Masterton (3537174276).jpg, The Post Office opened 1900, demolished 1960 General_Plastics_(N.Z.)_Ltd._Explosion_and_Fire_(1965)_(26271497746).jpg, 4 killed in the General Plastics Explosion and Fire 1965

Modern history

In essence providing support services for rural industry - living off the sheep's back - Masterton's real growth ended with that sector's retrenchment after the 1974 British entry to the trade and political grouping now the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. Efforts to decentralise industry to New Zealand's provinces gave Masterton a print works and some other industries but the lost economic activity was not restored. From the 1970s, people and businesses left for opportunities elsewhere. In the 1980s, with government deregulation and protective tariffs lifted, more businesses closed and the town declined further.DNZB "Wairarapa places" - Masterton by Ben Schrader Retrieved 12 January 2014 It did not quite qualify to be a city by 1989 when the minimum population requirement for that status was lifted from 20,000 to 50,000.

Marae

Te Oreore

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

and Ngā Tau e Waru meeting house, located in Masterton, is affiliated with the

iwi Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

and its

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

of Kahukuraawhitia, Kahukuranui, Ngāti Te Hina, Tahu o Kahungunu, Tamahau and Whiunga, and with the iwi of

Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū-Whanganui, Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough Region, Marlborough areas of New Zealand.Hinetearorangi, Ngāi Tamahau, Ngāti Hāmua, Ngāti Taimahu, Ngāti Tangatakau, Ngāti Te Noti, Ngāti Te Raetea and Ngāti Te Whātui. In October 2020, the Government committed $2,179,654 from the

Provincial Growth Fund Shane Geoffrey Jones (born 3 September 1959) is a New Zealand politician. He served as a New Zealand First list MP from 2017 to 2020 and was previously a Labour list MP from 2005 to 2014. Jones was a cabinet minister in the Fifth Labour Gove ...

to upgrade Ngāi Tumapuhia a Rangi ki Okautete,

Motuwairaka Whareama is a rural area in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. The Whareama River flows through the area. Marae The community has two ''marae'' affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu ''hapū'' of Ngāi Tumapuhia-a-Rangi: Mot ...

Pāpāwai Greytown ( mi, Te Hūpēnui), population 2,202 (at the 2013 Census), is a rural town in the centre of the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, in the lower North Island. It is 80 km north-east of Wellington and 25 kilometres southwest of Mas ...

Kohunui Pirinoa is a rural community east of Lake Wairarapa, in the South Wairarapa District and Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It includes the rural settlement of Pirinoa, and the coastal settlement of Whāngaimoana. Marae Kohunui Ma ...

Hurunui o Rangi Gladstone is a lightly populated locality in the Carterton District of New Zealand's North Island, located on the Mangahuia Stream near where the Tauweru River joins the Ruamahanga River. The nearest town is Carterton 15 kilometres to th ...

and Te Oreore marae. The projects were expected to create 19.8 full time jobs. Another local marae, Akura Marae, is affiliated with the

hapū of Ngāti Te Ahuahu and Ngāti Te Hina. and with the

Demographics

Masterton District covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². The Masterton urban area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km². Masterton District had a population of 25,557 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 2,205 people (9.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,934 people (13.0%) since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 9,936 households. There were 12,372 males and 13,185 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.94 males per female. The median age was 43.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 4,968 people (19.4%) aged under 15 years, 4,371 (17.1%) aged 15 to 29, 10,857 (42.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 5,361 (21.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 84.7% European/Pākehā, 21.3% Māori, 4.0% Pacific peoples, 3.9% Asian, and 1.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas was 12.9, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 50.2% had no religion, 37.7% were Christian, 0.7% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.4% were Buddhist and 3.1% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 3,030 (14.7%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 4,803 (23.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 2,403 people (11.7%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 9,420 (45.8%) people were employed full-time, 3,270 (15.9%) were part-time, and 705 (3.4%) were unemployed.

Climate

Masterton enjoys a mild temperate climate grading towards a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Due to the geography of the Wairarapa valley and the

Tararua Range The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand. The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...

directly to the west, the town's temperature fluctuates more than nearby inland city of

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) 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 ...

. Masterton experiences warmer, dry summers with highs above 30 °C possible and colder winters with frequent frost and lows below 0 °C.

Government

Between 1877 and 1989, Masterton Borough Council administered the area. An early mayor was the storekeeper Myer Caselberg (1886–1888). The Masterton District Council (MDC) is the Masterton District territorial authority. It is made up of an elected mayor, a deputy mayor/councillor, and nine additional councillors. They are elected under the

First Past the Post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

system in triennial elections, with the last election being held on Saturday 12 October 2019. The current council members are: Lyn Patterson (M), Graham McClymont (DM), Gary Caffell, Brent Gare, David Holmes, Bex Johnson, Frazer Mailman, Tim Nelson, Tina Nixon, Chris Petersen and Sandy Ryan. All councillors are elected 'At Large'. There are also two Iwi representatives, Ra Smith and Tirau Te Tau. Nationally, Masterton is part of the general electorate and the Māori electorate.

Politics 2013 to 2016

Applications for local government reorganisation from the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Wairarapa district councils in mid-2013 led to a proposal from the Local Government Commission for a region-wide unitary authority. In June 2015, the Commission decided not to proceed with this proposal due to lack of public support. Instead, because about 40 per cent of submissions suggested alternatives to the status quo, the Commission decided work with councils and the community to achieve some consensus on the challenges it faced, and to collaborate in identifying possible options to address the challenges.

Education

Masterton's schools were reviewed over 2003 to take into account a changing demographic of the population, with several primary schools closing and merging. Today, there are five state primary schools in the township – four state contributing primaries: Douglas Park, Fernridge, Masterton Primary and Solway; and one state full primary: Lakeview. In addition, there are five state full primary schools in the surrounding district: Mauriceville, Opaki, Tinui, Wainuiouru and Whareama, and two state-integrated primaries: St Patrick's, a Catholic contributing primary, and

Hadlow Hadlow is a village in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is situated in the Medway valley, north-east of Tonbridge and south-west of Maidstone. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte (in the Textus Roffens ...

, an Anglican full primary. Masterton Intermediate School, with over 500 students, is the only intermediate school in Masterton (and the Wairarapa), bridging the gap between the state contributing primary schools and the secondary schools. Two state secondary schools serve Masterton:

Wairarapa College Wairarapa College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Masterton, New Zealand. The college first opened in 1938, following the merger of Wairarapa High School with the Masterton Technical School. Serving Years 9 to 13, the college ...

is the largest of the two with 1050 students, serving the western side of the town, while

Makoura College Makoura College (spelled Makora College prior to 1990) is a state co-educational secondary school located in Masterton, New Zealand. The school opened in 1968 as the town's second state secondary school, alongside Wairarapa College. Serving Y ...

with 320 students serves the eastern side of town. Four state-integrated schools also serve the town: Chanel College is a coeducational Catholic school with its own intermediate department;

Rathkeale College "Nothing is impossible for mortal man" , type = trinity school single sex boys (Years 9–13) , established = 1963; years ago , address = Willow Park Drive, Masterton, Wellington Region, New Zealand , coordinates = , principal ...

and St Matthew's Collegiate are Anglican boys and girls schools respectively, with St Matthew's having an intermediate department; and Solway College is a Presbyterian girls school with intermediate. There is also a composite (primary/secondary combined) Māori immersion school in the town: Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Wairarapa. Masterton has its own polytechnic, run by UCOL (Universal College of Learning). The Masterton District Library and Archive, situated on Queen Street, are part of the Lower North Island SMART Libraries group, which involves sharing books and information between 22 libraries.

Media

Newspapers

There are several newspapers circulated in Masterton, including two daily publications (

Wairarapa Times-Age The ''Wairarapa Times-Age'' is the regional daily paper for New Zealand's Wairarapa where it is prepared, and published in Masterton. Though its roots are deep in Wairarapa's community, it joined a national combine in 2002 only to leave the com ...

, The Dominion-Post) and a free community title, Wairarapa Midweek. The Wairarapa Times-Age is the only daily newspaper based in Masterton. Formed by a merger between the Wairarapa Age and the Wairarapa Daily Times on 1 April 1938, The Wairarapa Times-Age has an audited paid circulation of 5,427. The Wairarapa Times-Age is owned by Andrew Denholm of National Media Limited. NZME Publishing Limited sold the business, which includes the Wairarapa Midweek and TA Property papers in June 2016. Andrew Denholm was the previous general manager. Seamus Boyer is current editor. The Wairarapa Midweek, a weekly

community paper Community paper is a term used by publishers, advertisers and readers to describe a range of publications that share a common service to their local community and commerce. Their predominant medium being newsprint, often free and published at regul ...

with an audited circulation of 21,186, is distributed every Wednesday along with the TA Property. The Wairarapa Times Age building at 70 Chapel Street no longer holds the presses, and the space was used by the nascent Masterton

Fab lab A fab lab (''fabrication laboratory'') is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication. A fab lab is typically equipped with an array of flexible computer-controlled tools that cover several different length scales and vari ...

which has now relocated to UCOL. Fairfax NZ owned The Dominion Post is widely circulated in the Masterton district. The Wellington-based metropolitan daily newspaper has an office, Media House, at 123 Chapel Street in Masterton. The Dominion-Post has an audited paid circulation of 55,496.

Radio

Masterton is serviced by one local radio station. Wairarapa's MORE FM 89.5 or 105.9 for the coastal frequency. MORE FM broadcasts locally from 6am to 10am daily from studios in Kuripuni. The station was founded by controversial Broadcaster Paul Henry, as TODAY FM 89.3 in Carterton in 1991. Later the station was rebranded as Hitz 89FM, Wairarapa's Best Music. The MORE FM Breakfast Show has been hosted by well-known local broadcaster Brent Gare, since 2004. The Saturday sports show at 8am has been hosted by local sports-caster Chris "Coggie" Cogdale since 1992.

Television

Television coverage reached Masterton in 1963, after the Otahoua transmitter east of the town was commissioned to relay Wellington's WNTV1 channel (now part of

TVNZ 1 TVNZ 1 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Tahi) is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as indep ...

). The town was early receiving television since the Otahoua transmitter was required to repeat the signal from the Mount Victoria (and later

Mount Kaukau Mount Kaukau () is a large hill in the northern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand near Johnsonville, Khandallah and Ngaio. The summit is 445 metres above sea level and is the most visible high point in the Wellington landscape further acce ...

) transmitter in Wellington to the Wharite Peak transmitter near Palmerston North (also commissioned in 1963). Digital terrestrial television (Freeview HD) was introduced to the Masterton area in July 2011, in preparedness for the area's digital switchover in September 2013. The service broadcasts from the Popoiti transmitter, south of the township.

Utilities

Water

Masterton's water is piped from the Waingawa through a Masterton District Council treatment plant on the river about 10 kilometres west of the town. The water is clarified and filtered then chlorinated and fluoridated. Lime is added to neutralise the pH to protect the pipes. There is a fluoride-free drinking water tap in Manuka Reserve in Manuka Street. Typhoid epidemics broke out each year in Masterton and in 1896 Parliament approved a Borough Council loan to build a drainage and water supply system. Work on the water supply did not begin until 1899 delayed by disagreements over the appropriate sources for water. It was finished at the end of 1900 when at the formal opening ceremony there was enough pressure to send a jet right over the Post Office tower to the accompaniment of the Masterton Municipal Brass Band. The mayor, Mr Pownall, said he was now ready to pour cold water on the scheme's opponents. A covered reservoir and treatment plant at Fernridge was supplied by an intake from springs beside the Waingawa four miles further up river. The main was duplicated in 1915. It was replaced by the current system completed in 1983. The sewage system was completed in 1901. It drained through settlement ponds and filter beds to the Ruamahanga south of the town. The sewage farm's system included a newfangled "

septic tank A septic tank is an underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic through which domestic wastewater (sewage) flows for basic sewage treatment. Settling and anaerobic digestion processes reduce solids and organics, but the treatme ...

" which was subject to failures.

Energy

The Wairarapa Electric Power Board was established in Carterton in 1920With nine members, two from Masterton Borough and one each from Carterton Borough, Greytown Borough, Featherston Borough, Martinborough Town District and portion of Masterton County, a portion of Wairarapa South County, and a portion of Featherston County. ''Wairarapa Age'', 10 April 1920, page 4 to supply the Wairarapa with electricity from the Kourarau hydro power station at Gladstone, southeast of both towns. Masterton was connected to Mangahao on 17 May 1925 when the transmission line from Bunnythorpe to Masterton (via Woodville and Mangamaire) and the Masterton substation were commissioned. The Wairarapa Electric Power Board moved to headquarters in Masterton in the 1950s. The power board, then named Wairarapa Electricity, dissolved following the 1998 electricity sector reforms. The retail business was sold to Genesis Energy and the distribution lines business sold to

Powerco Powerco is the second-largest gas and largest electricity distributor in New Zealand. It is one of only two companies to distribute both electricity and natural gas through their network (the other being Vector Limited). Its network delivers el ...

. Today Powerco continues to operate the local distribution network in the town and surrounding district with electricity fed from Transpower's national grid at its Masterton substation in Waingawa. Masterton Gas Company was established by the Borough Council in 1886 by the corner of Bannister and Kirton Streets. About 20 years later it was moved to the end of Bentley Street just south of the railway station. The large quantities of coal were brought in by rail. By 1945 it had become clear consumers preferred electricity and the gasworks closed in the 1950s. There is no

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

network in Masterton, making it the largest North Island urban area without one. There has been no more than a proposal to connect Masterton to the North Island natural gas network via a branch off the Palmerston North to Hastings high-pressure pipeline commissioned in 1983.

Telephone

The Masterton magneto telephone exchange opened on 31 January 1897, with 53 subscribers. On 31 May 1919, Masterton became the first town in New Zealand to have a fully automatic (Western Electric 7A Rotary) telephone exchange. Masterton and nearby Carterton were the first towns in New Zealand to introduce the emergency number 111, in September 1958. Before the 1991 to 1993 changes, the area code for Masterton was 059. Today the area code is 06, and numbers generally begin with 370, 372 (rural areas), 377, 378 and 946. Numbers beginning 946 are businesses.

Internet

On 3 December 2015 the UFB rollout to the town was completed.

Transport

Masterton is very well served by public transport with rail and bus links. Despite Masterton and the Wairarapa valley being reasonably close to

, they are separated by the

Rimutaka Range The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east co ...

s with State Highway 2 cutting a winding hill road through the range, and the Rimutaka railway tunnel. The

Wairarapa Line The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand. The line runs for , connects the capital city Wellington with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line at Woodville, via Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

allows access to

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

and

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. Geography The Upper Hutt city cent ...

. Unlike other parts of the country, the Wairarapa has seen passenger rail services remain, largely due to its proximity to Wellington and the Rimutaka Tunnel's advantage over the Rimutaka Hill road. There has been talk of constructing a road tunnel through the ranges for decades, but this has been ruled out due to the extremely high cost. According to the latest transportation plan from the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the only work planned is for upgrades to the Rimutaka Hill road and the addition of passing lanes between

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

and Masterton.

Rail

Masterton is linked to Wellington and the Hutt Valley by the

Wairarapa Connection The Wairarapa Connection is a New Zealand interurban commuter rail service along the Wairarapa Line between Masterton, the largest town in the Wairarapa, and Wellington. It is operated by Wellington suburban operator Transdev (with KiwiRail sub ...

, a

Tranz Metro Tranz Metro (formerly Cityrail and before that Cityline) was a New Zealand public transport operator. Beginning as the New Zealand Railways Corporation's Cityline division as a result of restructuring in the 1980s, in its final form Tranz Metr ...

passenger service run for Greater Wellington Region's Metlink, primarily operating at peak times serving commuters from Masterton and the Wairarapa with five return services on Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two at weekends and public holidays. There are three railway stations in the town;

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

, Renall Street and Solway. Four stations north of Masterton used to operate at Opaki, Kopuranga, Mauriceville and Mangamahoe. Services to these stations ceased between 1969 and 1988. To cope with an increase in logging in the Wairarapa, an additional 2.5 hectare rail freight hub is due to be operational in Norfolk Road, Waingawa by March 2016.

Bus

There is a local Metlink bus service in Masterton operated by Tranzit. The buses operate on five routes: three suburban and two regional including: There is also the MPN: Masterton to Palmerston North (via Woodville) service, not operated under the Metlink brand.

Air

Hood Aerodrome Hood Aerodrome is an aerodrome, located in Masterton, New Zealand, it is located 1 NM South West of the town centre in the suburb of Solway. The aerodrome was named after George Hood, a pioneer Masterton aviator who died trying to make the fi ...

is 2 miles southwest of the town of Masterton. As of 2015, there are no commercial flights from Hood Aerodrome. From early 2009 until late 2013, Air New Zealand provided flights to Auckland, operated by subsidiary

Eagle Airways Eagle Airways was a regional airline based in Hamilton, New Zealand and was wholly owned by Air New Zealand, operating regional services under the Air New Zealand Link brand. The airline was disbanded on 26 August 2016, with staff absorbed int ...

six days a week, mainly to serve business customers in the Wairarapa. There have been a few other unsuccessful attempts at commercial air travel in Masterton, mostly failing due to its proximity to major airports in

and

. The most significant was by South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand (SPANZ), which operated daily flights using DC3s during the sixties to destinations nationwide until the airline's closure in 1966. Queen Elizabeth Park Masterton (23166740666)

Queen Elizabeth Park

Queen Elizabeth Park covers more than 20 hectares (50 acres) near the heart of Masterton on land set aside for the purpose in 1854. Its most notable aspects are the Giant Sequoia (''

Sequoiadendron giganteum ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...

'') trees planted in 1875, its other mature trees, and sheltered oval cricket ground. Queen Elizabeth came to Masterton Park in 1954 to be noisily welcomed by the mayor and the citizens and every schoolchild of the Wairarapa. After that she rested at the Empire hotel, waved to the crowd from the balcony and graciously gave her own name for the park.

Miniature railway

Queen_Elizabeth_Park_Railway,_Masterton_-_panoramio

The park contains a

miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petro ...

, built by the

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...

and opened in 1972 by

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at ...

. It has a single station, Waipoua, and is upkept by a group of volunteers. A ride on the train costs $1, a fare that has been unchanged since 1984. The line has a steam locomotive, restored in 2021, which formerly operated at Gisborne and at

Caroline Bay Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

, Timaru, where a steam locomotive was operating in 1942. The locomotive's origin is unknown, though it is similar to many

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

steam engines built by

Bassett-Lowke Bassett-Lowke was an English toy manufacturing company based in Northampton. Founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke in 1898 or 1899, the company specialized in model railways, boats and ships, and construction sets. Bassett-Lowke started as a m ...

from 1911.

Museum

Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History opened in Masterton in 1969. A sculpture by

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadi ...

was the first item in the museum's collection. It now contains almost 4,000 items.

Sports

In rugby union,

Heartland Championship The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the countr ...

team Wairarapa Bush is based in Masterton, playing their home games at Memorial Park. In association football,

Central Premier League The Central League is an amateur status league competition run by Capital Football for Association football clubs located in the southern and central parts of the North Island, New Zealand. From 2021 it is at the second level of New Zealand Footb ...

side

Wairarapa United Wairarapa United is a Association football, football club based in Masterton, New Zealand and are currently competing in the Central Premier League, Central League. Club history The club was formed by the merger of Masterton (soccer), Masterton ...

play some of their home games at Masterton; also playing in Carterton. In

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

, the

Hawke Cup The Hawke Cup is a non-first-class cricket competition for New Zealand's district associations. Apart from 1910–11, 1912–13 and 2000–01 the competition has always been on a challenge basis. To win the Hawke Cup, the challengers must beat t ...

team

have their headquarters in Masterton. Their home ground is Queen Elizabeth Park.

Notable people

* Sylvia Ashton-Warner * Mary Gertrude Banahan *

Barry Barclay Barry Ronald Barclay, New Zealand Order of Merit, MNZM (12 May 1944 – 19 February 2008) was a New Zealand filmmaker and writer of Māori people, Māori (Ngāti Apa) and Pākehā (European) descent. Background Barclay was born in Masterton and ra ...

Harold Barrowclough Major General Sir Harold Eric Barrowclough & Bar, (23 June 1894 – 4 March 1972) was a New Zealand military leader, lawyer and Chief Justice from 1953 to 1966. Born in Masterton, Barrowclough commenced legal studies in 1913 and joined the ...

, Chief Justice of New Zealand *

Amanda Billing Amanda Billing (born 12 April 1976 in New Zealand) is a New Zealand actress best known for her role as Sarah Potts (Shortland Street), Doctor Sarah Potts on New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. Biography Billing grew up in Masterton, an ...

* Roger Blackley, art historian *

Constance Bolton Constance Muriel Bolton (née Beard, 29 December 1884 – 30 March 1949) was a New Zealand artist. Born in Masterton, New Zealand, on 29 December 1884, she was the daughter of Spencer Francis Beard and Marion Rolleston Smith, and the eldest o ...

, artist * Russell Calvert, politician * Ted Chamberlain, plant pathologist *

Jemaine Clement Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the ...

, actor, comedian and musician *

Wyatt Creech Wyatt Beetham Creech (born 13 October 1946) is a United States-born retired New Zealand politician. He served as the 14th deputy prime minister of New Zealand in Jenny Shipley's National Party government from August 1998 to December 1999. Ear ...

, politician * Helen Cowie, Doctor *

Ian Cross Ian Robert Cross (6 November 1925 – 2 November 2019) was a New Zealand novelist, journalist and administrator, and contributed significantly to New Zealand letters. His first novel, ''The God Boy'', was released in 1957 to critical acclaim. ...

, novelist *

Barry Dallas Barry Mitchell Dallas (1 December 1926 – 21 April 1992) was a New Zealand politician and doctor. He was twice mayor of Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand. Biography Dallas was born in Masterton and attended Wairarapa College. He qua ...

, medical practitioner and politician * George Davis-Goff, naval officer *

Haddon Donald Haddon Vivian Donald, (20 March 1917 – 23 April 2018) was a New Zealand soldier, businessman and politician of the National Party. He was the oldest living former New Zealand Member of Parliament, and at the time of his death, was the hi ...

, soldier, businessman and politician *

Pat Evison Dame Helen June Patricia Evison (née Blamires; 2 June 1924 – 30 May 2010), known professionally as Pat Evison, was a New Zealand-born actress. Early life and education Evison was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 2 June 1924, the daughter of ...

John Falloon John Howard Falloon (17 February 1942 – 4 October 2005) was a New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1977 to 1996, representing the New Zealand National Party, National Party in the Pahiatua (New Zealand electorate), Pahiatua electorate. ...

* Bill Francis * George Groombridge * Christopher Hodson *

Alexander Hogg Alexander Wilson Hogg (9 February 1841 – 17 November 1920) was a member of parliament for Masterton, in the North Island of New Zealand. Member of Parliament Hogg contested the Masterton electorate in the , but was beaten by Ge ...

, newspaper editor and politician * Thomas W. Horton, RAF officer * Raybon Kan, writer and stand-up comedian * Ladyhawke, singer-songwriter *

Jack Lewin John Philip Lewin (3 June 1915 – 4 May 1990) was a New Zealand public servant, unionist and lawyer. Biography Early life and career Lewin was born in Masterton, New Zealand, on 3 June 1915. His family experienced hardships after his father ...

, prominent public servant * Sir

Brian Lochore Sir Brian James Lochore (3 September 1940 – 3 August 2019) was a New Zealand rugby union player and coach who represented and captained the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He played at number 8 and lock, as well as captaining the ...

, All Black *

Alan MacDiarmid Alan Graham MacDiarmid, ONZ FRS (14 April 1927 – 7 February 2007) was a New Zealand-born American chemist, and one of three recipients of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000. Early life and education MacDiarmid was born in Masterton, New Z ...

, Nobel Prize winning chemist *

Ron Mark Ron Stanley Mark (born 29 January 1954) is a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand First party, and former soldier, who served as Minister of Defence between October 2017 and November 2020. He served as mayor of Carterton from 2010 to 2014, ...

, soldier and politician * Harold Miller, librarian * David Nicholson, Australian politician * Susan Parkinson, nutritionist *

Edwin Perry Edwin Jock Perry is a New Zealand politician. He was a New Zealand First Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2005. Member of Parliament He was first elected to Parliament as a list MP in the 2002 New Zealand general election, 2002 election, h ...

, politician *

George Petersen Wilfred George Petersen (13 May 1921 – 28 March 2000) was an Australian politician, affiliated with the Labor Party and elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Early life and background Petersen was born in Childer ...

, historian *

Arthur Prior Arthur Norman Prior (4 December 1914 – 6 October 1969), usually cited as A. N. Prior, was a New Zealand–born logician and philosopher. Prior (1957) founded tense logic, now also known as temporal logic, and made important contribution ...

, logician and philosopher * Ian Prior, doctor and epidemiologist * Frances Rutherford, artist * Brad Shields. Rugby player * Campbell Smith, playwright * Harold Smith, politician * J. Valentine Smith, landowner * Olive Rose Sutherland, teacher *

Ivan Sutherland Ivan Edward Sutherland (born May 16, 1938) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer, widely regarded as a pioneer of computer graphics. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subje ...

, ethnologist *

Selina Sutherland Selina Murray McDonald Sutherland (26 December 1839 – 8 October 1909) was a notable New Zealand nurse and social worker. She was born in Culgower, Sutherlandshire, Scotland in 1839. She came to New Zealand in 1865 and went to visit her sis ...

, nurse, founder of Masterton Hospital * Bill Tolhurst, politician * Elwyn Welch, farmer, ornithologist, conservationist and missionary *

Aaron Slight Aaron Tony Slight (born 19 January 1966) is a New Zealand former professional motorcycle road racer. He competed in the Superbike World Championships from to , finishing second in the championship twice and third four times. He later competed ...

, World Superbike motorcycle racer

Sister cities

Masterton has sister-city relationships with: *

Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a market traditionally held on the 20th of each month with ''hatsuka'' (廿日) meaning "20th day" and ''ichi'' (市) translating to "market". The market continues to this day ...

, Japan *

Changchun Changchun (, ; ), also romanized as Ch'angch'un, is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a , comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 c ...

, China *

Armidale, New South Wales Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...

, Australia

Notes

References

External links

Masterton District Council

Masterton Tourist Information
{{Authority control Masterton District Populated places in the Wellington Region