Consultation is now open on Masterton’s future. Masterton District Council's Annual Plan for the 2026/27 financial year focuses on the next 12 months, while the development plan, Our Future Our Story, considers Masterton’s vision towards 2050.

The Annual Plan sets out what the Council wants to do in the coming financial year.

Under the Plan, an average rates rise of 6.5 percent increase forecast in 2024’s Long-Term Plan has been reduced to an average increase of 5.2 percent

The Council is consulting on:

• increasing some user fees and charges for Council services, primarily to bring them in line with inflation.
• a proposed lease charging framework, to provide a consistent and transparent approach to setting community facility lease charges.

Our Future Our Story

From September to February, as part of the Our Future Our Story project, Council staff received around 2000 pieces of feedback from the community about was important when planning for Masterton’s future to 2050.

Phase one of the project included 10 community pop-ups, as well as community and special interest workshops, stakeholder meetings, engagement with iwi, and online engagement.

Phase two of the project will test what was heard in phase one, seek feedback on the proposed principles, and explore community ideas on how we collectively achieve this vision.

Ideas on what was important included a sense of community, access to the natural environment and community spaces, with a desire to increase opportunities to connect, improved care of the environment, a revitalised town centre, improved transport, and focus on what makes Masterton Whakaoriori unique.

Council Group Manager Strategy Karen Yates said the two consultations were important pieces of work.

“The Annual Plan will determine what we do for the next year, and how we pay for it,” she said.

“The Our Future Our Story project is taking a much longer-term view of how we grow and develop, and it is important we are reflecting what our community is telling us is important.

“I encourage everyone to look at the information and take the opportunity to have their say.”

Both consultations are accessible online through the Council’s What’s Up, Whakaoriori? page, and website, with hard copies at Council offices on Queen Street and Lincoln Road, and at Masterton District Library.

Consultation closes on 28 April.