Masterton Up Front and In Person

03/02/2026

An excellent conversation.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HbQjRw66C/

School principal Tim Nelson on why Erica Stanford’s education reforms are great.Watch The Platform live on YouTube — only $39.99/month!Join now → https://www...

29/01/2026

The Mayor of Masterton has just received a 7.54% salary increase. An extra $10,436 per year taking her mayoral base salary from $138,471 to 148,907.

So Bex is now getting all the rates paid for about 2.5 average urban houses as a pay increase.

Masterton Councillors also had a salary increase, but not as huge as the Mayor's. They increased by 3.80%. An extra $2,248 per year, taking their base salary from $59,165 to $61,414.

Each councillor got about 1/2 the rates of an average urban house as a pay increase.

https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/pay_rise_dashboard

Meanwhile we can expect to be paying 40% more in rates over the coming 5 years unless we can get that turned around. If you're currently paying around $4k/year in rates you'll be paying closer to $6k in rates 5 years from now.

Is that what you really want?

Championing Value For Money From Every Tax Dollar

24/01/2026

Who do you think wrote this about themselves?
To what extent do you think it reflects reality?

07/12/2025

This is a classic example of how the Masterton District Council wastes money like it's water flowing out of a tap and down the drain.

At the Mauriceville Fair today at least 2 council staff were marketing their latest attempt to waste Ratepayer's money. Getting people to write onto post-it notes the things that they liked about Masterton and the things that they would change about Masterton.

This wasn't a formal consultation. It was nothing other than a complete waste of Ratepayer's money.

How many items of equipment do you think the council staff had to purchase, and how many hours of overtime they were paid in order to stand in Mauriceville having a conversation with Mike Butterick?

16/11/2025

Ex-Mayor Caffell complained at the most recent council meeting that Councillors worked a 7 days a week job and remarked how he got much feedback from folk who thought Councillors were overpaid.

Personally I think that most of them are paid about right for the quality of what they do as elected representatives of Masterton Ratepayers and Residents.

If they can get the CEO and senior leadership team properly under control (instead of the other way around) then perhaps they might be worth more.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BjAF7K2pR/

Wairarapa councillors say they’re underpaid. The reality? Ratepayers are still waiting on better roads, pipes, and parks. Time to focus on the basics.

01/11/2025

Gary Caffell is deluded if he thinks that Ratepayers and Taxpayers have the financial capacity to pay for such a tunnel at this time.

A replacement road through between The Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa is certainly highly desirable if done as an above-ground road. But if done as a tunnel it would be a very long tunnel, and there is the question of how would safety / rescue vehicles get into the tunnel and to the location of an accident bad enough to cause a blockage of the tunnel. And this brings into question whether or not a tunnel is the right way to do it.

01/11/2025

Why do all Masterton Ratepayers have to pay for the purchasing of large amounts of land just to sprinkle fully treated waste water on the land instead of discharging it safely into the river?

There is no legitimate reason for that cost to be borne by all Ratepayers. Buying land for that purpose is just a waste of Ratepayers' money.

Let those who want to dispose of treated water in that way pay for it all by themselves. It is an unnecessary and pointless waste of money.

22/10/2025

Worth a read.

I’m really grateful to be able to have my column published in the Wairarapa Midweek, which has now been appearing there for over eight years 😊

22/10/2025

Winston Peters: "There are 4 critical things that Maori want.
+ Safe affordable housing
+ ready access to our health system should they need it,
+ access to first world education - a system were their young can progress as far as their ambition, work, and commitment can take them, and
+ first world incomes, free to be equal because they have been trained to be equal."

On Sunday 21st August 2022, New Zealand First leader Rt Hon Winston Peters delivered his 'Democracy not Co-Governance' speech at the Warkworth town hall.

15/10/2025

Councillor Tim.

10/10/2025

Looking at the totals of nationwide daily returns for the local body elections.

Final Week Push:
A substantial number of votes, totaling 496,531, were returned in the last five days of polling (Monday to Friday). This represents nearly a third (32.5%) of all votes cast, highlighting the common practice of last-minute voting.

Turnout Comparison:
As at today, the total turnout so far (44.02%) has now passed the final national turnout for the 2022 elections (43.1%).

Daily Patterns:
The data clearly shows a weekly pattern where vote processing peaks on Mondays - reflecting the accumulation of weekend mail -and then gradually tapers through the week before a small rise on Fridays.

This comprehensive national picture, aggregated from the raw data of every local council, provides a definitive look at voter engagement. The final tally after tomorrow's deadline will likely see the national turnout settle slightly higher, marking a modest but positive increase in participation in local democracy compared to 2022.

Well, that's the nationwide figures. Masterton is painting a different picture. So far the cumulative figures is looking to be even worse than the 2016 election.

The cumulative voter returns in the General Ward so far is 36.95% with 6,749 of eligible voters having cast their vote in the General ward.

In the Maori ward the cumulative voter return it is 27.52%, but that is from a mere 507 voter returns.

The combined number of voter returns for all Masterton voters is 36.09%, being 7,256 eligible voters having cast their vote.

No doubt we'll find out sometime tomorrow afternoon who has won, who has lost, and whether there is any possibility for cancelling the demolition contract for the town hall.

08/10/2025

Good luck with the election. May you return with increased support!