Thermometer set to take jobs temperature

GOING UP: The new Masterton job thermometer was put up yesterday at the District Council building.

A council initiative to create 500 new jobs in Masterton has taken the form of a giant job thermometer which was fixed to the northern side of the town hall yesterday morning.

The drive for jobs is part of the My Masterton campaign, which is run in association with the Wairarapa Times-Age. It aims to create and record 500 new Masterton jobs in a 12-month period.

Economic Development Programme manager Tina Nixon said the idea came out of initial discussions with local businesses at the start of the marketing campaign.

"Late last year we talked to 17 major employers in and around Masterton to gauge how things were going," she said.

"The majority were upbeat and positive and many were in a growth phase, which backed up our gut feel.

"This has been borne out by the fact the district recorded an impressive 6.6 per cent increase in GDP last year - making it one of the best performing regions in the country.

"Once we had this proof that the local economy was starting to take off, we felt we needed to find a way to show people that there were new jobs being created in the district.

"We decided to use a giant thermometer based on the much-loved Castlepoint Lighthouse, so we can log the jobs as they are created.

"If you or your business has created a new job in Masterton, please let us know by emailing tinan@mstn.govt.nz and we'll add it to the tally.

"We're more than happy to promote your new staff member as well. We have set ourselves an ambitious target of 500 jobs in one year, so keep a look-out on the lighthouse and watch our community and economy grow right before your eyes."