Masterton

Masterton (Māori: Whakaoriori) is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges. It is 100 kilometres north-east of Wellington, 28 kilometres south of Eketahuna, on the Ruamahanga River.

Masterton has an urban population of 21,000, and district population of 24,400 (June 2015 estimates).

The Wairarapa Line railway allows access to Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.

Masterton businesses include services for surrounding farmers. Three new industrial parks are being developed in Waingawa, Solway and Upper Plain. The town is the headquarters of the annual Golden Shears sheep-shearing competition.

Suburbs

Masterton suburbs include:

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. This cemented the town’s position as the region’s main market and distribution centre.

Masterton (New Zealand electorate)

Masterton was a New Zealand electorate from 1887 to 1946, focused on the town of Masterton and the surrounding area.

Population centres

In the 1887 electoral redistribution, although the Representation Commission was required through the Representation Act 1887 to maintain existing electorates "as far as possible", rapid population growth in the North Island required the transfer of three seats from the South Island to the north. Ten new electorates were created, including Masterton, and one former electorate was recreated.

The Masterton electorate's boundaries were roughly based on those of the Wairarapa North electorate that it replaced, although it was not an exact match. The electorate ran from the Tararua Ranges down to the sea, with its northern boundary just north of Eketahuna and its southern boundary just south of the largest Wairarapa town of Masterton.

The 1890 elections saw the electorate gain Pahiatua and Woodville, but lose territory on the coast south of Castlepoint. At the 1893 elections, it lost Woodville, and in the 1896 elections, it lost Pahiatua. In the 1911 elections, it lost Castlepoint, leaving it almost landlocked.

Masterton (disambiguation)

Masterton is a large town in New Zealand.

Other uses for Masterton include: