On 28 August 2025 the Minister for Rail, Rt. Hon Winston Peters, was joined at Mataura Railway Station by Hon. Mark Patterson, Gore Mayor Ben Bell, representatives from KiwiRail and other key stakeholders for the announcement that ownership of the historic building had been transferred from KiwiRail to the Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand (RHTNZ). To facilitate and fund the restoration of the station the Minister also announced that KiwiRail would increase RHTNZ’s annual funding contribution from $125,000 to $500,000.
In reply the RHTNZ Chairman, Murray King, said the railway station has been on their restoration wish list for a long time and the change of ownership provided the Trust with an opportunity to restore the building to how it looked in the 1920s. Thanks to the much-appreciated increase in funding most of which will be allocated to the Mataura project, RHTNZ hope to complete the restoration by the end of 2027. In recent years the station had deteriorated due to the loss of some roofing tiles and blocked downpipes. These issues need to be remediated as soon as possible to prevent further deterioration, a process made more complicated by the fact the roof is still clad with the original asbestos cement tiles installed when the station was built in 1921.
Since the Minister’s announcement in August RHTNZ has:
- Reviewed and assessed all the reports about the station as undertaken by various parties.
- Consulted Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga re the restoration process requirements.
- Commissioned a quantity survey detailing the project requirements and costs; this includes the cost to install a sprinkler system.
- Arranged for the brick and mortar chimneys to be surveyed to determine their NBS (National Building Standard) and what if any earthquake strengthen work is needed.
- Consulted Gore District Council regarding the building permit requirements.
- Consulted with and meet the Mataura Community Board which has agreed to set a sub-committee to liaise with RHTNZ regarding the restoration
RHTNZ is presently seeking quotes to remove the asbestos cement roof tiles, to replace these like-with-like with a modern equivalent, to undertake the external and internal timberwork restoration either in stages or in one hit, and to scaffold and cover the station so work can continue in all weathers.