Media Centre

Masterton Mayor Gary Caffell and Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty are asking Waka Kotahi to reconsider its decision to impose an 80km/h speed limit on the open stretches of road on State Highway 2 between Carterton and Featherston.

Masterton District Council will next month consider making land available at Henley Lake for a fenced dog park.  

Masterton District Council is now inviting interested businesses in Masterton to join a new Retailers’ Business Group being set up to help address challenges around antisocial behaviour and to help bring back vibrancy and positivity to the Masterton CBD.

A sodden February has allowed Masterton District Councl to lift all water restrictions heading into the official start of autumn tomorrow, 1 March.

Masterton District Council has carried out rapid building assessments in the Tinui area to determine whether buildings affected by Cyclone Gabrielle are safe to occupy.

The Masterton-Castlepoint Road will be closed between 8am and 4pm daily from tomorrow (Tuesday) until, and including, Friday 24 February, opening for one hour for traffic between noon and 1pm.

Masterton Mayor Gary Caffell is 100 per cent behind calls from Communities 4 Local Democracy He hapori mō te Manapori (C4LD) for new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins to seize the opportunity to amend Three Waters reform proposals.

Masterton’s Mayor Gary Caffell has added his support to a joint budget bid that would see improved rail services across the lower north island.

Wairarapa farmers and growers affected by Cyclone Hale are invited to ask for help if they need it.

Masterton District Council has closed the small learners’ pool at the rear of the Trust House Recreation Centre today due to safety concerns after roofing was found damaged.

The independent working group tasked with preparing a review of the rationale for the progression of the Masterton District Council Civic Facility project will present their report at the Council’s 14 December meeting.

A total of $3.88m in Three Waters Better Off Funding has been approved by the Government for Masterton District Council projects.

Masterton District Council has been granted funding towards a Lansdowne to Kuripuni Cycleway through the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Transport Choices programme.

To mark the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson will plant a commemorative totara in Queen Elizabeth Park, Masterton, on Monday 26 September 2022.

Masterton District Council is delighted its work on the Hood Aerodrome Masterplan has been recognised in the 2022 NZ Airports Awards.

Masterton District Council has allocated more than $200,000 in Community Wellbeing and Community Events grants. A total of 36 applications were received for Community Wellbeing grants, totalling $297,812 from a budget of $130,102. The Council’s Awards and Grants...

Nominations have now closed in the Masterton Local Elections for 2022.

1 July 2022 Masterton District Council has confirmed an independent Chair and an independent community representative for its Civic Facility Working Group following the adoption of the 2022/23 Annual Plan. Ian Collier, JP, has been named as Chair, and Rachael Dean,...

Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson has welcomed the response by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to complaints relating to Council decisions around the Civic Facility.

The next steps in Masterton District Council’s Civic Facility project will be a matter for the new Council, to be elected in October.

Masterton District Council has closed Henley Lake for recreational purposes and issued a health warning after tests show concentrations of cyanobacteria (toxic algae) to be at high levels.

Toxic algae (cyanobacteria) is found in the majority of lakes and rivers in New Zealand. Under certain conditions, including warm temperatures, prolonged periods of sunshine and low water flow through the lake, the algae can proliferate to very high numbers.

Masterton District Council is taking advantage of school holidays to make access to Lakeview School safer for pedestrians.
This work will require Colombo Road to be closed at the intersection from 10-21 January.

Ongoing dry conditions have forced Masterton District Council to introduce water restrictions for the first time this summer.
Garden sprinklers may now only be used on alternate days.

Masterton District Council has chosen Architectus as lead architect for the Civic Facility project.

Introduction of the Government’s ‘traffic light’ COVID-19 protection system tomorrow (3 December) will see vaccine passes required for anyone aged 12 years and over at Wairarapa swimming pools and all libraries except Masterton District Library.

Public submissions open tomorrow (Friday 3 September) on Masterton District Council’s 2021 Representation Review proposal covering the next two local body elections.

Wairarapa’s Mayors have commended the community response to the Level 4 lockdown so far and called for calm and a continued effort as Level 4 is extended into next week, 11.59pm on Tuesday, following Covid-19 cases identified in Wellington.

Wairarapa’s three district councils moved quickly to reactivate a coordinated response to the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown that came into effect at 11.59pm on Tuesday (17 August).

Work will start next week on a new roundabout at the intersection of Te Ore Ore Road with Blair and Totara Streets, increasing safety in an area of longstanding concern.

Masterton’s swingbridge across the Waipoua River will be closed from Wednesday (21 April) as work begins to replace its deck.

A focus on ensuring the cost of delivering council activities is fully recovered is behind the increase in some fees and charges, proposed as part of the current consultation on Masterton District Council’s draft Long-Term Plan. Costs have increased due to adjustments for inflation, to respond to changes set by central government, and to cover borrowing costs for capital projects associated with the services.

Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson believes there are thousands of great reasons and a couple of excellent incentives for people to take time to make a submission on the Council’s long-term plan consultation, which opens tomorrow  (1 April). The draft plan, called Stepping Up, sets out plans for a new civic facility, a 10-year Masterton revamp, and 25 new pensioner houses on council-owned land.

Nearly $90,000 in community wellbeing, events, and COVID-19 sports grants have been approved by Masterton District Council’s Awards and Grants Committee.
This includes nearly $50,000 in Community Wellbeing grants, more than $17,000 in Community Events grants, and $21,000 in the COVID-19 Sports Grants.

Essex Street carpark will be closed on Friday 19 March to allow tree removal ahead of a major revamp that will see park numbers increased from 117 to 125.

An independent assessment of Masterton District Council has highlighted significant improvement since it was first assessed as competent in 2017. The Local Government NZ CouncilMark assessment is a voluntary process, with the Council’s assessment now a “strong” BBB, up from a BB.

Rain in the Tararua Range has raised the level of the Waingawa River, the source of Masterton’s drinking water, enabling water restrictions to be eased to allow sprinklers on alternate days.