On 28 August 2025 the Minister for Rail, Rt Hon Winston Peters, announced the Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand had taken ownership of the heritage-listed railway station at Mataura with additional funding provided for its restoration. After a year of planning and consultation site works began on 7 September 2026 when sections of the timber windbreaks at either end of the platform canopy were removed to provide site access, and the corrugated iron on the rear section of the canopy roof was removed so the station could be scaffolded and tented.
Stage One will see the asbestos cement roof tiles and old sarking removed. New sarking will be installed after any damaged roof timbers have been repaired or replaced. The chimneys will then be cleaned and repointed before new rhomboid tiles are laid in a diamond pattern to match the look and colour of the original roof.
While the scaffold and tent remain in place new spouting and downpipes will be installed with the exterior timberwork repaired and repainted down to the top of the windows. After the scaffold and tent have been removed mobile scaffolding will be used to repair and repaint the rest of the exterior. The focus will then turn to completing the interior renovation.
The restoration project will see the station returned to how it looked when built in 1921, including the installation of period signage. The Rail Heritage Trust would welcome any assistance in researching the names of any local advertisers c1920 and the colour of their signs before creating replicas. If samples of the original paint are found during the restoration process, these colours will be used when the station is repainted.
The aim of the restoration is to find a tenant for the station so it can continue to play an active role in the community it’s served for more than 100 years.