The Masterton community has voiced its concerns, and Council has listened. At Wednesday’s Council meeting, elected members approved an additional $550,000 for landscaping improvements on Queen Street.

Originally focused on essential infrastructure upgrades, the CBD upgrade project evolved in response to public feedback about the importance of trees and landscaping in the town centre. The additional funding will allow Council teams to expand tree infrastructure and increase the range of planting options for Queen Street.

Mayor Bex Johnson said the decision was a strong win for the community.

“Our role as elected members is to listen to the concerns of our community and use that to shape our decision-making. Yesterday was a prime example of that in action,” she said.

The new funding will support planting larger grade tree options to replace the 15 trees being removed from Queen Street, installing tree root boxes to prevent underground infrastructure damage and encourage better tree growth, and allow additional greenery to be included in final planting plans. Elected members also agreed that, if feasible and within budget, an established Ginkgo tree will be relocated to a new site in the Town Hall square.

“While much of the additional spend will be for installing tree boxes underground, it allows the council to select larger trees to replace those coming out. Large-grade trees will fill the space more quickly, creating canopy cover from day one, although it will take some years for the trees and planting to grow to maturity.”

“Our community is very passionate about their space, and we’re pleased to be able to support this call from our community.”

Upgrade work began on 9 March to replace water mains running along Queen Street, with all phases for the project due to be complete by October 2026.