The Wairarapa,a geographical region of New Zealand,lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island,east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated,having several rural service towns,with Masterton being the largest. It is named after its largest lake,Lake Wairarapa.
The South Wairarapa District is a district at the south-east tip of the North Island of New Zealand,governed by the South Wairarapa District Council. The district comprises the southernmost part of the Wairarapa,and is part of the Wellington Region.
Masterton is a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa,a region separated from Wellington by the Remutaka ranges. It stands on the Waipoua stream between the Ruamāhunga and Waingawa Rivers –100 kilometres north-east of Wellington and 40 kilometres south of Eketāhuna.
Featherston is a town in the South Wairarapa District,in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is at the eastern foothills of Remutaka Range close to the northern shore of Lake Wairarapa,63 km (39 mi) north-east of central Wellington and 37 km (23 mi) south-west of Masterton.
Dame Kerry Leigh Prendergast is a New Zealand politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Wellington between 2001 and 2010,succeeding Mark Blumsky. She was the second woman to hold the position,after Fran Wilde.
Public transport in the Wellington Region,branded under the name Metlink,is the public transport system serving Wellington and its surrounding region. It is the most used public transport system in New Zealand per capita,and consists of electric and diesel buses,suburban trains,ferries and a funicular. It also included trams until 1964,and trolleybuses until 2017.
Dame Frances Helen Wilde is a New Zealand politician,and former Wellington Labour member of parliament,Minister of Tourism and Mayor of Wellington. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor of Wellington. She was chairperson of the Greater Wellington Regional Council from 2007 until 2015,and since 2019 she has chaired the board of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
The Wairarapa Connection is a New Zealand interurban commuter rail service along the Wairarapa Line between Masterton,the largest town in the Wairarapa,and Wellington. It is operated by Wellington suburban operator Transdev under contract from the Greater Wellington Regional Council. It is a diesel-hauled carriage service,introduced by the New Zealand Railways Department in 1964 after passenger demand between Masterton to Wellington exceeded the capacity of the diesel railcars then used.
Featherston railway station is a single-platform,urban railway station serving the town of Featherston in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line,between Harrison Street West and Harrison Street East. It is thirty-five minutes journey time to Masterton,or fifty five minutes journey time to Wellington.
Ian William Lawrence was an Australian-born New Zealand lawyer,who served as the mayor of Wellington from 1983 to 1986.
Celia Margaret Wade-Brown is a New Zealand politician who has been a Green Party list MP since 19 January 2024. She previously served as the 34th mayor of Wellington,the capital city of New Zealand,from 2010 until 2016.
Jennifer Sylvia Brash is a former New Zealand local government politician. In a career spanning nearly 40 years,she was mayor of Porirua from 1998 to 2010 having previously served as a Porirua city councillor. After retiring as mayor she served for the twelve years from 2010 to 2022 as councillor for Porirua–Tawa on the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
William Raymond Wallace is a New Zealand politician. He served as mayor of Lower Hutt from 2010 to 2019.
Justin Mark Lester is a New Zealand businessman and politician. He was Mayor of Wellington between 2016 and 2019,following six years on the Wellington City Council.
The 2016 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections and was held on 8 October to determine the next Mayor of Wellington. The incumbent was Celia Wade-Brown,who was first elected in the 2010 mayoral election. Wade-Brown did not seek re-election. Her title was pursued by her deputy,Justin Lester,councillors Jo Coughlan,Andy Foster,Helene Ritchie and Nicola Young,former mayor of Porirua City Nick Leggett and independent candidates Keith Johnson and Johnny Overton.
The 2016 Wellington region local elections were part of the wider 2016 New Zealand local elections,to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. These elections covered one regional council,eight territorial authorities,three district health boards,and various community boards and licensing trusts.
Tahere Paul Eagle is a New Zealand politician and former member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the Rongotai electorate from 2017 to 2023. He was a Wellington City Councillor from 2010 to 2017 and was the first person of Māori descent to be Deputy Mayor of Wellington,but was defeated in a landslide when he sought the mayoralty as an independent candidate in 2022.
Ross James Craufurd Dunlop is a New Zealand local-body politician. He was mayor of the South Taranaki District from 2007 to 2019. In December 2024,Dunlop was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit,for services to local government.
Izzy I. Ford is a New Zealand local-body politician and former rugby union player. She served as deputy mayor of Porirua from 2016 to 2022.
The 2022 Wellington Region local elections were held on 8 October 2022 as part of the wider 2022 New Zealand local elections to elect members to sub-national councils and boards. These elections covered one regional council,eight territorial authorities,and various community boards and licensing trusts.
