Masterton () is a town in the eponymous Masterton District of New Zealand. It serves as the seat of the Masterton District Council and is the largest town in the Wairarapa. It is situated on the Waipoua River between the Ruamāhunga and Waingawa Rivers and is 100 kilometres north-east of Wellington and 40 kilometres south of Eketāhuna.
Masterton has an urban population of , and a district population of
Masterton businesses includes services for surrounding farmers. Three new industrial parks are being developed in Waingawa, Solway and Upper Plain. The town functions as the headquarters of the annual Golden Shears sheep-shearing competition
History
Early history
Masterton was established in 1854 by the Small Farms Association, a group led by Joseph Masters. The aim of the association was that groups of working men would pool their resources to purchase blocks of land from the government and subdivide them. Each member would own a small town section and a 40-acre farm. The town was named after Joseph Masters. The town initially grew slowly, but began to prosper as farming became more productive.
Masterton overtook Greytown as the main town in the Wairarapa in the 1870s, and became a borough in 1877. The railway line from Wellington reached Masterton in 1880, and for a time was the main line connecting Wellington to the rest of the North Island. The establishment of the rail connection led to Masterton becoming the main market and distribution centre for the Wairarapa region.
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.
During World War II two battalions of the United States Marine Corps were stationed in Masterton.
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. 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.
In the 1970s, there was a period of decline as people and businesses moved to take up opportunities elsewhere. Government deregulation and the lifting of protective tariffs in the 1980s led to more business closures and further decline.
Masterton 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 The Te Ore Ore marae was built in 1881 by Pāora Te Pōtangaroa and opened in 1881. The original building was destroyed in 1939 but was later rebuilt. The marae is located in Te Oreore near Masterton and is one of the main marae for Masterton. The marae is affiliated with Ngāti Hamua, a sub-tribe of Rangitāne.
Geography
Setting Masterton is situated on mainly flat land in the north of the Wairarapa region. It is in the upper drainage basin of the Ruamāhanga River, and sits between the Waingawa River to the west and the Ruamāhanga to the east. The Waipoua River passes through the town, flowing south to join the Ruamāhanga River near the south-eastern boundary of the town. There are low hills to the north, and the foothills of the Tararua Ranges rise approximately to the west. The country to the east becomes hilly and undulating within .
Suburbs Masterton suburbs include: Lansdowne, on the northern side Eastside and Homebush on the eastern side Upper Plain, Fernridge, Ngaumutawa, Ākura and Masterton West on the western side Kuripuni and Solway on the southern side
Climate Masterton enjoys a mild temperate climate (Köppen: Cfb), grading towards a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). Due to the geography of the Wairarapa valley and the Tararua Range directly to the west, the town's temperature fluctuates more than the nearby inland city of Palmerston North. 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 seven additional councillors. They are elected under the First Past the Post system in triennial elections, with the last election being held on Saturday 11 October 2025.
The current council members are: (M), Craig Bowyer (DM), Gary Caffell, Waireka Collings, Tim Nelson, Brent Goodwin, Stella Lennox, David Holmes. At-large councillor Jamie Falloon resigned at the beginning of February 2026. In the by-election triggered by Falloon's resignation, former council senior manager Andrea Jackson was elected.
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 to 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.
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 27,678 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,121 people (8.3%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 4,326 people (18.5%) since the 2013 census. There were 13,401 males, 14,175 females and 102 people of other genders in 10,911 dwellings. 2.7% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 42.7 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 5,127 people (18.5%) aged under 15 years, 4,635 (16.7%) aged 15 to 29, 11,637 (42.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,276 (22.7%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.7% European (Pākehā); 22.6% Māori; 4.6% Pasifika; 5.1% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.5% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori language by 4.7%, Samoan by 1.2% and other languages by 6.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 32.5% Christian, 0.8% Hindu, 0.4% Islam, 1.2% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.2% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 55.5%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,976 (13.2%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 12,756 (56.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 5,898 (26.2%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $37,200, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,794 people (8.0%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 10,590 (47.0%) people were employed full-time, 3,300 (14.6%) were part-time, and 543 (2.4%) were unemployed.
Urban area Masterton's urban area covers and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2.
The urban area had a population of 21,606 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 1,689 people (8.5%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 3,360 people (18.4%) since the 2013 census. There were 10,323 males, 11,205 females and 78 people of other genders in 8,631 dwellings. 2.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 41.3 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 4,023 people (18.6%) aged under 15 years, 3,810 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 8,832 (40.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 4,941 (22.9%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 81.0% European (Pākehā); 25.1% Māori; 5.3% Pasifika; 6.1% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 2.4% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.2%, Māori language by 5.3%, Samoan by 1.5% and other languages by 6.6%. No language could be spoken by 2.0% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 14.8, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 33.1% Christian, 1.0% Hindu, 0.5% Islam, 1.4% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.5% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.3% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 54.3%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 2,124 (12.1%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 9,903 (56.3%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 4,926 (28.0%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $35,800, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,143 people (6.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 8,061 (45.8%) people were employed full-time, 2,406 (13.7%) were part-time, and 459 (2.6%) were unemployed.
Amenities and attractions
Queen Elizabeth Park
Queen Elizabeth Park covers more than near the heart of Masterton on land set aside for the purpose in 1854. Its most notable aspects are the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) 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 gave her own name for the park. The park contains a miniature railway, built by the Jaycees and opened in 1972 by Norman Kirk.
Museum Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History opened in Masterton in 1969. A sculpture by Barbara Hepworth was the first item in the museum's collection. It now contains almost 4,000 items.
Library 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.
Sports In rugby union, Heartland Championship team Wairarapa Bush is based in Masterton, playing their home games at Memorial Park.
In association football, Central Premier League side Wairarapa United play some of their home games at Masterton; also playing in Carterton.
In cricket, the Hawke Cup team Wairarapa have their headquarters in Masterton. Their home ground is Queen Elizabeth Park.
Masterton has an all-weather athletics track at the Colin Pugh Sports Bowl in Lansdowne.
A motorcycle speedway track known as Penlee Speedway existed on the Norfolk Road during the 1970s and 1980s. It opened in November 1971 and was a significant venue for important speedway events, including the final of the New Zealand Solo Championship in 1978 and 1984.
Infrastructure Water and drainage
Water supply