It reinforced the town as a "beautiful Victorian village" and reflected its Maori heritage, she said.
"We wanted it to stand out ... to be a memorable welcome."
Mrs Hay said Mr Thompson collaborated with people from Papawai Marae and they consulted with South Wairarapa District Council and NZTA on location and installation.
Members finally agreed on the final design at their monthly meeting last week, said Mrs Hay.
"We've been working on this now for well over a year.
"There was a lot of fine tuning to the design."
She said the laser cut steel signs will be about 1.5 metres wide by 5 metres tall.
"We are hoping to have them installed by the end of the year."
A budget of $10,000 was set for both signs.