Masterton 6.2

Masterton is a large town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Masterton District . 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, 39.4 kilometres south of Eketahuna, on the Ruamahanga River.Masterton has an urban population of, and district population ofThe 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.SuburbsMasterton suburbs include: Opaki, Lansdowne, Te Ore Ore on the northern side Eastside and Homebush on the eastern side Upper Plain and Akura on the western side Kuripuni and Solway in on the southern sideHistoryMasterton 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.