Gwynne Dyer If you are wondering why Hamas launched its all-out assault on Israel on Saturday, I wrote it here last week. “The Arab world has basically abandoned the Palestinians to their fate, whatever that may be. Six Arab countries have...
The Algerian activist Ahmed Zaoui, who fled to New Zealand in 2002 seeking refugee status and eventually gained citizenship in 2014, is back in the news! He has been arrested again in Algeria (where he has been living) for his outspoken political...
Interesting to see #nznationalparty admitting defeat before the election. If they’re scared of, and have no confidence in, even trying to negotiate a coalition agreement I think they are not fit to govern. Remember that in 2017 they blamed others...
After appearing to have handed control of election tactics to Sir John Key, Christopher Luxon is apparently trying to scare votes away from NZ First by suggesting that National may not go into coalition with them — thus creating a need for...
Re: Art in lights. Thank you to those who organised this. What a spectacular sight. I especially loved the four large pieces depicting clouds. They were magnificent but there was no information about the artist, not even in the booklet. Whoever you...
Petrels and shearwaters belong to the same family of seabirds that once nested in their millions within underground burrows across mainland New Zealand and were an important food source. However, by 1930 nearly all were extinct. The country’s...
After the Christchurch earthquakes, the Crown acquired and demolished or removed more than 8000 properties then returned the land to Christchurch City Council. That was a precedent which New Zealand could not afford to follow, especially because it...
Jason Heale, Maxim Institute It is easy to get caught up in the idea that being right is the most important thing. We’re constantly bombarded with messages that tell us what to think and who to believe, and it can be challenging to remember that...
In reply to Amber Dunn, “Local authority doing job well”. Kia ora Amber. You are right, Council did need to repair the cracked sewerage pipe. They have sought to do it quickly and responsibly. The issue I raised was that the community needs...
The good old days have gone — when will it end? I am 85, and was born and lived in Tolaga Bay. I worked and partied with the old Maori people — we were one big happy family. Ninety percent of the good old buggers have gone now. The rules and...
Baking rewana bread, making poi and growing vegetables in a bucket were part of a sustainable skills wānanga event delivered by community group E Tū Elgin this week. “The children’s smiles grew as the day went on,” E Tū Elgin committee...
A shoplifter tried to mow down Farmlands store staff in her car as they tried to stop her leaving with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise, Gisborne District Court heard this week. Tyler Tanja Rahera Ngareta Gray, 33, stole a jacket valued at...
Firefighters arrived in time to stop a potentially serious Whatatutu house fire in its tracks in the early hours of yesterday morning. Fire and Emergency NZ responded with appliances and crews from Gisborne, Te Karaka and Whatatutu. “There was no...
Newborn babies and mothers who require complex care are now being transported to Wellington instead of Hamilton or Auckland. A new service agreement has been signed with Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley to provide complex obstetrics and...
Contractors have started work on the temporary road on Waihau Road to Loisels, which has been closed since the June rain event. A major landslide washed out part of the road at the four-kilometre mark. Since then, residents have had walking access...
by Sarah Curtis The agency responsible for the upkeep of the nation’s highways has paid nearly $50,000 over the past three years to motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes. Waka Kotahi NZTA figures show $9000 of that went in the...
A new Jobs and Skills Hub has opened in Gisborne to help people find work, access training and support the post-cyclone rebuild. “Cyclone Gabrielle had a devastating impact on the Tairāwhiti community, and over the next couple of years we’ll...
Māori ward councillors in Tairāwhiti have spoken candidly about their first year in governance, highlighting cyclone recovery as a key challenge. On October 8 of 2022, five councillors were elected by Maori roll voters for Gisborne District...
An aerial shot of the massive landslide that blocked Tiniroto Road earlier this week graphically shows the extent of the slump and the work done by contractors so far on a temporary access route, which the GDC hopes to have open to traffic by the...
Having had a passion for volunteering from an early age, Jenny Greaves, knew she had found the next niche in her career when she stepped into the role of manager at Gisborne Volunteer Centre 18 years ago. With a desire to promote and support the...
Contractors Siteworx Civil has made steady progress on cleaning the debris off the main city beaches this week after finishing at Kaiti Beach last week. Staff have been working at different locations along sections of the main beach from Waikanae to...
Gisborne District Council has invited iwi on to the Tairawhiti Resource Management Plan Committee, a joint decision-making body “with full powers of council”.
In 1973, fifty years ago on Friday, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, coincided with Ramadan, the Islamic lunar month of fasting. But nobody raised an alarm in Israel when it was reported, two days before the Arab attack, that the...
A funding extension for plant and animal control work in an area where Gisborne’s main water pipeline crosses fragile land has been ruled out by the Department of Conservation. In July 2021, Gisborne District Council received $2 million under the...
The massive slip that destroyed a huge chunk of Tiniroto Road on Tuesday will have brought back memories for power company staff who ran for their lives in the same place in a landslide at the time of Cyclone Bola in 1988. That slip formed...
The Green Party wants more transparency and more public knowledge about Rocket Lab operations at Māhia. MP Teanau Tuiono says the party has concerns about what payloads American military, security and intelligence agencies may be putting into...
It’s the last weekend to wander through the stunning Te Ara i Whiti at Kelvin and Marina parks along the banks of the city’s rivers. More than 10,000 people have enjoyed the interactive visual arts experience that is part of Te Tairāwhiti Arts...
Poverty Bay A&P Show Association volunteers will gather at Showgrounds Park tomorrow for a major working bee ahead of the Spring Show next week. General manager Erica McNeil said they would be busy tidying up the last few jobs. “Our wonderful...
Free mulch is on offer at Parkview Nursery this weekend. Gisborne District Council will have a digger to load up trailers between 9am and 3pm tomorrow and Sunday. Parkview Nursery is next to 1017 Aberdeen Road and there will be signs to ensure road...
A Waimatā Valley resident and mother who took her safety concerns over increased logging traffic to the chief executive of a forestry company has had a positive response. Laura Watson decided to take action out of fears for the safety of children...
Two Gisborne police officers used reasonable force to arrest and restrain a man after he assaulted an officer, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found. On May 27 last year, police were called to a party at an address outside Gisborne...
Feeling a little shaky lately? A swarm of small earthquakes near Gisborne could be the reason. Wondering about a sudden small jolt or being woken unexpectedly and you might find the answer in a bunch of light earthquakes just on the edge of...
A charity motorcycle ride has come up trumps for the region’s underprivileged children through a festive donation of toys to local trust SuperGrans Tairāwhiti. “More than 200 children within our community will wake up to Christmas Day with...
Wairoa and Nūhaka people can now take their full driver licence test through the town’s new community-led driver licensing programme provided by Tairāwhiti REAP. The Growing Drivers Locally (GDL) programme has been successfully running in rural...