. . . No, Matamata matters
Last year Matamata welcomed 350,000 visitors to take in all our district had to offer. Sure, they may not be able to get a selfie with a 6.5m cow. But what they get is something more.
They get to visit a movie set where Sir Peter Jackson showcased New Zealand’s film industry and landscape to the world.
Be as condescending as you like about Matamata’s claim to fame through Hobbiton, but the facts speak for themselves.
It didn’t just put Matamata on the map – it helped build New Zealand’s profile as a tourist destination.
The district also offers the tallest waterfall in the North Island – Wairere Falls, in the Kaimai Ranges.
Sure, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is from Morrinsville, but Matamata has political pedigree too.
Matamata College alumni include current and former National MPs Judith Collins, Tim van de Molen, Lindsay Tisch and Maurice Williamson and retired Labour MP Sue Moroney.
It’s been said that if Collins had become the National Party leader, the rivalry between Morrinsville and Matamata would have been even more intense.
The town is home to two Governors-General, Dame Catherine Tizard and the incumbent, Dame Patsy Reddy.
Chris Liddell, Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, hails from here – whether that’s a good or a bad thing is up to you.
And a strong horse racing tradition has produced champion jockeys such as Lance O’Sullivan and Noel Harris.
During the local government amalgamation of October 1989, then mayor Don Stanley used his gavel to close the final Matamata Borough Council meeting, the end of a 54-year-old local authority as the Matamata-Piako District was created.
Gaye Belton, the editor of the Matamata Chronicle, wrote at the time: ‘‘One thing has remained constant over the years, and that has been the enthusiasm, motivation and determination of councils and residents alike to make Matamata the progressive community it is today’’.
‘‘And that will not change’’, she continued.
‘‘The name may change, but Matamata’s urban and rural community will remain just that – a community.
‘‘A community of people – young and old – who share a strong identity and pride in their town and its surroundings.’’
And Matamata remains a proud and strong town; rich in dairying, tourism and things equine.
We don’t need a Mega Cow called Mabel to prove it.