Plaudit for town's economics guru

BIG PLANS: Tina Nixon has received a big pat on the back for her work with economic development.PHOTO/FILE

Masterton's economic development programme manager Tina Nixon has been handed a bouquet by her boss for helping put Masterton district " on the map".

Her work with the My Masterton project has been described by Masterton District Council chief executive Pim Borren as " great work".

In a report to the council, Mr Borren said things were all pointing in the right direction.

"The signals are showing us that, not only has our economy grown, there is now an increased demand for housing in Masterton, for the first time in many years. House sales are up and there are now too few houses for sale, according to real estate agents. This is a very positive sign."

Economic development progress included Wai Connect, with all aspects of the project being on time and on budget. It is expected to result in the creation of a Wairarapa-wide digital enablement strategy by September.

Plans are afoot to have a Masterton promotional video made, the district will be represented at home shows in Wellington and Auckland, and there is a proposal to be considered which would see free Wi-Fi from Lansdowne to Kuripuni.

A Job Creation Lighthouse barometer is to be attached to the council building as soon as resource consent to do so is granted and the Times-Age is helping with job promotion as part of its partnership in the My Masterton project.

On the education front, options are being explored on setting up a youth training hub similar to the Waikato Institute of Technology as well as a school leaver tracking system.