Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne's debt mountain on the rise

Budget advisory service clients’ combined debt increased by $2.65m in one year; people struggling to afford the basics.

Taiwanese thumb their nose at China

Apart from a wedding in Hawke’s Bay at the weekend, much of the attention of the news cycle in the past week and the one that started yesterday has been focused on overseas developments. At the head of it is the Israel-Hamas war that has now...

Time to get real: role to play in Red Sea

Clive Bibby I watched an Australian interview with an ex four-star American General the other night and his comments said a lot about that country’s “free loader” contribution to world security. Although the General was voicing his concern...

Hate to see habitat lost

Let’s make sure we do not make a huge, smelly, costly mistake spraying the river grass. How about we make sure it is the right thing to do for the environment and for the finances of this district? And if it is sprayed, do we know how long it will...

Any consultation, consent?

When did council discuss the spraying of spartina grass in the Taruheru River? I cannot recall any discussion — or was it one of those “working sessions” that are still unavailable to the public? As the spraying will bring about landscape and...

Middle East powder keg

As I earlier predicted, the Houthi rebels in Yemen appear to have “crossed the line” in attacking commerce in the Red Sea and Suez Canal. I believe that the Houthis will use the responses of the US and the coalition of interested parties against...

Turanga Health staff showcase courage, pivot to 'create spaces of solace' in face of challenges in 2023

The 2023 financial year was a year of two halves for Turanga Health where staff had to “make courageous decisions and pivot in real time”. In his 2022-2023 annual report, chief executive Reweti Ropiha said “the first six months, between July...

Te Aka Whai Ora giving Māori ‘strong voice’ in health system: TH board chair

Turanga Health chairman Pene Brown strongly approves of the Māori Health Authority which the new Government intends to disband. The authority, or Te Aka Whai Ora, was designed to give Māori a strong voice in the health system. Mr Brown, in Turang...

Schrödinger’s Island: Taiwan election 2024

Gwynne Dyer Taiwan’s fate is as unknowable as usual, even though we know who the next president will be. William Lai, vice-president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-Wen, will almost certainly win the election today, because the two opposition...

Leave spartina grass in the Taruheru alone

John Wells Re: Spraying of Taruheru River spartina grass. Please stop this madness — the basis of this work is totally wrong! Rather than the early 1900s, the spartina grass was planted in the 1950s by community volunteers in collaboration with...

Planted to improve river

In November or December, 1964, the Gisborne Jaycees were tasked with planting spartina grass in the Taruheru River in front of the Botanical Gardens. The Jaycees were asked to do this as the Taruheru River was heavily polluted with all sorts of...

Don’t leave dogs in hot cars

I have recently had occasion to witness distressed dogs left in cars on two occasions. In the first instance on an extremely hot day, the windows hadn’t been left open sufficiently and the car wasn’t in the shade. I guessed that the owner would...

‘Silver Surfers’ examplars

I write on behalf of The Moananui Longboard Club who have been mentioned kindly in a recent Gisborne Herald. Thank you for printing those fine words. We, as a club, must recognise “Mr Gisby” and company for the collective “great example”...

Shearing competition set to resume

by Doug Laing The shearing sports competition season resumes today with the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears in Bank’s Peninsula settlement Duvauchelle. Amid the hype of a few world record attempts in the woolsheds at the peak of the shearing season...

Vulnerable at risk in extreme heat

After the abysmal summer of 2023 in Tairāwhiti, many people are welcoming the warm dry weather. But when it’s too hot there are health risks, says Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti medical officer of health Dr Anura Jayasinghe. “It’s especially...

Change ahead as weather systems from sub-tropics bring warm, wet conditions

Make the most of the sun — next week sees the unwelcome return of rain and sticky, sub-tropical weather. That is the consensus of various models for the days ahead, with MetService issuing its latest outlook for the period following this weekend...