Plaque to be reinstated

A memorial near Pioneer Cemetery honouring the region's earliest settlers, which was removed by Masterton District Council without consulting the group who donated it, will be reinstated - eventually.

Members of the Wairarapa branch of the NZ Founders Society approached the Times-Age last month as they wanted to know what had happened to a memorial stone and plaque they placed outside the lychgate at the cemetery.

The memorial stone and plaque were funded and unveiled by the founders in 1974 and were intended as a tribute to the pioneers of Masterton.

The memorials were removed in 2011 without any consultation with the group, as previously reported.

Masterton District Council property and facilities officer Charlie Fairbairn said the stone and plaque were removed as part of the Queen Elizabeth Park rejuvenation project.

He said they would be reinstated as part of phase three of the project, which is expected to be sometime next year.

The stone and plaque have been "safe" in the Recreational Services yard in the meantime.

Mr Fairbairn was unsure where exactly the memorial would be reinstated but expected it would be in the same place.

The actual stone was unable to be photographed but was sighted by the Times-Age.