by James Pocock Wairoa District Council is about to commission an independent investigation as part of an effort to explain what the town’s mayor believes was unusual flooding linked to wood debris during Cyclone Gabrielle. Residents of Wairoa are...
Sunday’s inaugural Grey Street Christmas Festival was an “awesome success”, organisers say. Grey Street was closed to traffic between Childers Road and the skatepark for the event, which was organised by Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust (TAT)...
A trial of major road layout changes for Grey and Kahutia streets will press on next month following the conclusion of a series of public information roadshows. After a full week of public presentations about the project, Tairawhiti Adventure Trust...
The ram sale season in the district ended on a strong note yesterday at the Matawhero saleyards when Te Ruanui Polled Dorsets racked up a new stud record price. Craig and Yvonne Brownlie from the Waerenga-o-Kuri property put up 80 Polled Dorsets and...
Christimas is just around the corner and at this time of year Focus on the Land likes to give books away. Up for grabs is ‘Secret Gardens of Aotearoa’, written by Jane Mahoney and Sophie Bannan. It explores a dozen “intriguing and unique”...
Beef + Lamb New Zealand will open an office in Gisborne next week. The premises, on the fifth floor of 74 Grey Street, will be officially opened and blessed on Wednesday next week from 1pm till 3pm. Invitations have gone out for the event. It will...
There was a total clearance of the 1487 sheep sold at the weekly sale at the Matawhero saleyards yesterday, where all except 11 sheep in the total yarding were store lambs. The best price of $77 was paid for 30 ram lambs from Raroa Station, at...
The Mayor’s call today for unity around everything we agree on, relationship building and the need to find new ways of thinking and working together is exactly what’s required for our region to overcome the challenges we face, and to help us...
Mayor Rehette Stoltz I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your whānau a blessed, peaceful (and sunny!) Christmas. I do hope that you will have some time off to rest and recharge your battery for 2024. No one can deny that 2023 has been...
Last month the president of COP28 Sultan al-Jaber said there was “no science” saying phasing out fossil fuel was what would keep the world inside 1.5C heating — a blatant attempt to undermine the agenda. More than 2400 fossil-fuel lobbyists...
REVIEW A festive environment is the backdrop of the latest murder mystery by Dorothy M Fletcher where the cast of Usual Suspects is a group of carol singers — the Golden Years Fun Club — enjoying the aftermatch party at a winery. In the first...
THE Human Rights Commission has appointed Julia Amua Whaipooti (Ngāti Porou) in the newly established position of tatau urutahi/shared leader. The position is a crucial part of the commission’s commitment to fostering a treaty-based partnership...
Weather is the year’s dirty word in Tairāwhiti — a year which has set a new standard for the word “wet”. As Christmas draws near, residents from East Cape to Wairoa and Napier will be hoping for a dry and sunny spell for the festive season...
by Doug Laing A highway deviation costing about $250 million to bypass the site of a slip that again closed the road between Napier and Wairoa this week is unlikely to be open before 2027. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency estimates it will take three...
The team of paid surf lifeguards to protect the Gisborne and Tolaga Bay beaches on weekdays during the peak of this summer have been selected. The lifeguards will undergo an induction course on December 18 and 19, and then commence work on December...
Gisborne Woodturners Club want to share the Christmas festival spirit with deserving young tamariki who have had a tough time. President Lynne Boulter has started distributing wooden toys made by club members during the year and the first recipient...
Police have arrested a Black Power associate in relation to the October shooting of a rival gang member in Gisborne and seized firearms and ammunition at gang addresses across the city. A police operation targeting firearms and gangs was carried out...
An East Coast man waded into the sea desperately trying to find phone service after his carelessness with a loaded rifle he was not allowed to have seriously wounded his teenaged son. The 16 -year-old is permanently maimed and no longer has one of...
The Christmas spirit ramps up this weekend with the man in red to appear in Wairoa’s Christmas Parade today and at the Grey Street Christmas Festival in Gisborne tomorrow. Wairoa’s parade starts at 2pm this afternoon and the theme is...
SPCA Gisborne centre manager Melissa Bennett started her new role in the midst of a kitten boom and she is loving every minute. “It’s been a busy month but I’ve landed myself in a pretty good team,” she says. “Everyone has a lot of...
A rain-affected playing field will no longer be an issue for sport-loving Kaiti School students. New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has provided a $35,000 grant towards an all-weather turf at the school. “Having access to an all-weather turf...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon yesterday joined Cyclone Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell and Transport and Local Government Minister Simeon Brown to meet leaders of cyclone and flood-affected regions in Wairoa and the wider Hawke’s Bay. The visit...
Gwynne Dyer The upside of Elon Musk is that he is a genius who has done useful things for the human race. He brought the idea of electric vehicles from harmless fringe tinkering to commercial mass production, and he may yet bring the cost of space...
Parliament’s call yesterday for urgent steps towards a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war takes our official stance further and probably reflects what a majority of New Zealanders feel. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters moved that the House...
Re: Raukumara project a case in point, December 5 letter. Thanks Grant — just to clarify, at this stage Recloaking Papatūānuku is looking solely to central government to support the initiative. The focus is on utilising the up to $26 billion New...
Just after World War 2, my home suburb of Bootle in Liverpool had the first Play Street — Beatrice Street. As the internet reveals, these were a product of the Street Playgrounds Act 1938. The aim was to provide safer streets to play in at a time...
Re: Annual longboard contest supports Tauawhi kaupapa, December 6 story. Let’s hope Makorori beach turns it on for the competitors. My only misgiving is the infamous speedo or budgie smugglers contest. Even though I’m not sure of the judging...
Summer camping is gathering momentum around the district as the holiday period and peak summer approaches. Gisborne District Council has reminded campers to provide the number of people staying at camp sites. “If you’re planning a camping trip...
People packing up and heading away for the Christmas and New Year period have been reminded to ensure any firearms are kept safe while they are on holiday. “Getting ready to head away for holidays can be a stressful time,” said Te Tari Pūreke...
St John Ambulance staff checked over the occupants of two cars that collided in the city yesterday morning. No one was significantly injured in the crash. It happened at the Gladstone Road-Desmond Road corner at around 8.50am. It was reported as...
Stricken solo yachtsman Seth van Mechelen has an eye on the weather as he prepares to sail away from Gisborne early next week. The 21-year-old battled five-metre swells and strong winds when he and his boat Luna hit the southerly storm that lashed...
The Gizzy Monthly Market Christmas series kicks off this Saturday at Marina Park. Sixty stalls will be set up for the four-hour event which starts at 9am. “Come and support our local creators and their amazing products by joining us at our first...
The Silver Muse will be the next cruise ship to visit Gisborne and, weather permitting, the Silversea Cruises ship will go to anchor in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay at about 10am on Monday. The ship arrives from Tauranga and will sail for Napier...
A central city drop-in immunisation clinic is making it easier for parents and caregivers to catch up on their children’s immunisations. Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti’s Well Child Service has opened a drop-in immunisation clinic at 295 Palmerston...