Masterton

Masterton ( Whakaoriori) is a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka 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 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. Masterton suburbs include: Lansdowne, Te Ore Ore 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 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. During World War II two battalions of the United States Marine Corps were stationed in Masterton. Masterton Railway Station c.1887 - c.1915 (10469055393).