Masterton Trust Lands Trust

25/05/2026

The Wairarapa Spinners and Weavers Pop-Up Shop is OPEN.

For three weeks - 25th May - 13th June, the Pop-Up Shop is open in the former LJ Ho**er building on the corner of Renall and Queen Streets.

The entry to the car park is off Queen Street (next to Hell's Pizza), and the exit is onto Renall Street.

Go along and check out the winter woollies and handmade treasures!

18/05/2026

🚨 Attention all grant seekers 🚨

Masterton Trust Lands Trust grants are now open for application.

APPLY ONLINE -

For Community grants:
https://mtlt.org.nz/grants/community-grants/

For Targeted Education grants:
https://mtlt.org.nz/grants/education-grants/

Applications close Tuesday, 30th of June.

Grants need to directly benefit the MTLT Trust district: https://mtlt.org.nz/about/trust-district/

22/04/2026

📣 Big news for our Masterton shop

We’re moving to a new, larger space and creating a Hospice Wairarapa “super store”.

We’ve outgrown our current space, and this move gives us the room to do more with every donation we receive.

Our new store, located on the corner of Dixon and Russell Streets, will allow us to:
🔵 Stock a wider range of items, including furniture
🔵 Create a better shopping experience
🔵 Improve how we sort and process donations
🔵 Return more funds to provide hospice services

This is an exciting step forward, helping ensure we can continue providing free hospice services to our community. A big thank you goes to Masterton Trust Lands Trust, their generosity and support made this opportunity possible. 👏👏👏

📅 Current shop closes: 4 May
🎉 New store opens: Saturday 9 May - join us for opening day. Details will follow!

Read more about the move here: https://www.hospicewairarapa.co.nz/current-news/new-masterton-store

21/04/2026

🚨 Attention Grant Seekers 🚨

The Funders Forum is happening again! On Wednesday, the 6th of May, MTLT is hosting the Masterton session at our office located at 115 Chapel Street.

This is an opportunity to meet local funders, discuss your organisation's goals and needs, and identify which funders may be able to help you achieve them.

Register your interest here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Bfd43AgTOE6_goyjsUghn7WpU9f6RnRBrAcCZPs40IJURVZKUDVJTjBGSFdMR1pJSTlWNkdJNEtWRy4u

Masterton session: Wednesday, 6th of May, from 3 - 6 pm.

Off-street parking is available.

Other sessions will be held in Carterton and Featherston for fund seekers in those areas - details on the flyer.

18/03/2026

As some of you may have already seen, over the weekend, MTLT’s sculpture installation ‘Flock of Champions’ was vandalised.

We are obviously very disappointed and upset that this has occurred, not just for ourselves, but also for the artists who put their time and creativity into delivering something beautiful for the people of Masterton and the international competitors at the Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championship.

This installation has brought joy to a lot of people, both locals and visitors alike, and we have appreciated everyone who has been in touch with us to tell us so.

Incidents like this are incredibly disheartening, and while they are not representative of the strong community support the sculptures have received since being installed, it does make us re-evaluate how we may continue to deliver public art in a meaningful and accessible way if there are people who feel entitled to destroy it.

We have been in contact with the police and are hopeful that the perpetrators will be caught. If you do have any information that may help the police, the file number is 260314/9239.

06/03/2026

🐑 MTLT Film Stories - Golden Shears & Flock of Champions 🐑

The Golden Shears has been a must-see event since the 1960’s. To celebrate that and the hosting of the World Championships this year, MTLT commissioned ‘Flock of Champions’. The flock is a permanent addition at the north end of town.

Take a look at the full clip here: https://youtu.be/IVlpzIuXwTE

04/03/2026

In addition to the 'Flock of Champions', Masterton Trust Lands Trust commissioned a sheep to highlight the culture of the whenua.

Designed and painted by Jordon Rimene, tattoo artist at Sacred Art Tattoo and Piercing, this sheep embraces and celebrates Whakaoriori/Masterton.

While currently on loan at Copthorne Solway Park, its permanent home will be at the Masterton Trust Lands Trust office - 115 Chapel Street.

03/03/2026

A vibrant flock of sheep at the north entrance to Masterton was unveiled last night, on the eve of the 2026 Golden Shears competitions. ‘Flock of Champions’ celebrates the international shearing community – reflecting the town’s proud rural heritage and home of the Golden Shears.

Featuring a flock of brightly painted life-sized sheep sculptures, the artwork was commissioned by Masterton Trust Lands Trust (MTLT), with support from Masterton District Council, Trust House, and Resene.

The new artwork was a year in the making – created especially to welcome the international shearing community for this week’s Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships.
“We saw this year’s double-billing of the Golden Shears and hosting of the World Championships as a unique chance to create something big, bold, and beautiful for Masterton. ‘Flock of Champions’ was a true community effort. It honours the global reach of the shearing community,” said Trust chair Christine Brewster at the unveiling ceremony.

Each member of the flock sports a unique hand-painted fleece - inspired by 12 nations that share a long history of competing at the Golden Shears. The Trust engaged local artists to bring each great shearing nation to life using fibreglass sheep sculptures as the canvas.

At the event, the Trust paid tribute to the talent and creativity of the artists behind the flock - Natasha Priddle for Australia, Katie Gracie for Aotearoa NZ, Barbara Caffell for England, Jane Sinclair for France, Paul Gadsby for Germany, Bernie Nannestad for Norway, Sandra McNab for Republic of Ireland, Alexandra Gordon for Scotland, Lotte Hawley for South Africa, Ian Chapman and Linda Tilyard for Spain, Adrian Jackman for USA, and Janey Halliday for Wales.

‘Flock of Champions’ can be found on the grass at the north end of Dixon Street, between the swimming pool and roundabout.

03/02/2026

🚨Personal Locator Beacons 🚨

Even those with a lot of experience in the outdoors can get into trouble and need help.

A creator on YouTube with the channel, Trailoff, who has been making videos of tramps in the Tararua Ranges for several years, had to activate his PLB because of an injury that meant he was unable to walk himself out of the bush.

His preparation meant that he could be found and extracted safely.

For those wanting to watch the YouTube video, here is the link:
https://youtu.be/_zGjS-hH9M0?si=aih2qgd0_fjl3yYL

Hiring a Wairarapa Rescue Trust PLB via: https://mtlt.org.nz/resources/personal-locator-beacon-hire/ can make sure you are prepared for your next outdoor activity.

I was having a great time hiking the Dobson Loop near my home in Wellington, New Zealand when I tripped and h...

28/12/2025

🎬 MTLT Film Stories - Aratoi🎬

Aratoi receives a concessional rent grant from the Trust annually. Masterton Trust Lands Trust provided the land, funded the building and fit-out of Aratoi at 12 Bruce Street, which opened in 2002. Aratoi is the only collecting museum in the region and showcases the stories of our history through its exhibitions.

Click here to see what’s on at Aratoi: https://www.aratoi.org.nz/exhibitions

Click here to see more MTLT Film Stories: https://mtlt.org.nz/news/