It has been 21 years since the plan to change the signs was first mooted, and long-standing Mataura Community Board member and Gore district councillor Neville Phillips was at the helm of the project.
Cr Phillips said good things came to those who waited.
The signs are at the northern and southern ends of the town.
"It’s been a long process.
"The thing about the sign is, there’s been a lot of mistakes made, but now we can see the end of it."
The signs were completed late last month.
Several reasons were behind the decades-long delay in completing the project.
"A lot of bureaucracy, a lot of design work — and a lack of a contract was probably the reason it took so long," Cr Phillips said.
He was happy the signs would not only be finished, but finished on budget.
"I’m just pleased for our Mataura residents.
"At the end of the day, we had set aside a certain budget and we’ve adhered to that as the community board.
"The [Gore District] Council has funded the rest, which is a good thing.
"It hasn’t cost the Mataura residents any more than what we asked for."
Cr Phillips said the signs were important to distinguish Mataura.
In 2005, the board knew something was needed to signify people were coming into a township in its own right, not just the Gore district.
