Latest from Gisborne Herald

Māhia Whale: autopsied, harvested

The discovery of a 16-metre-long bull sperm whale washed up dead in the shallows at Opoutama Beach on Friday drew intrigue and emotion and even resulted in a misunderstanding about customary processing of blubber. Residents awoke to see the...

Teddy lends a paw for Keitha’s surgery

Going under anaesthetic can be a daunting experience for young patients but not so much when they have a unicorn and a fluffy best friend to provide company. Keitha Taylor was recently supported at Gisborne Hospital by the oral health team...

Top in the ShakeOut stakes, so far

Tairāwhiti was the top region in the country as of yesterday when it comes to registrations for the ShakeOut national earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi that happens on Thursday next week. The October 19 event is at 9.30am that day when...

Electorate contests likely to be close

Whether on the general roll or the Māori roll, Tairāwhiti voters will be having their say in competitive electorate races that will be followed as “bellwether” seats that could go either way when the numbers come in on Saturday night. No...

People and nature first, to fix economy

Gavin Maclean If anyone is “inept on climate issues” (Oct 6 letter), Bill Gates surprisingly is. He is not a fount of wisdom. His renowned promotion of energy alternatives is firmly rooted in a mindset of continuing catastrophic growth, so if he...

Erasing our history

Once again Gisborne has chosen to ignore the anniversary of Cook’s landing here. Are we the town that wants to erase history? Or rather the bits that don’t suit some people? Certain repressive societies around the world have attempted this, and...

Think about less fortunate

Never be fooled into thinking you’ll be better off under a National government, unless you own investment property or are very rich. Even then you need to think about those who aren’t lucky enough to have what you have. We are fine financially...

Wayward with promises

Re: Cost-cutting consequences, October 3 letter. I thoroughly concur with “Seriously Concerned”, pointing out problems with healthcare. Unfortunately I feel that this is only part of the problem. We had a wonderful service with CCS, but...

Hamas wants Israel to wreak its vengeance

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...

Ahmed Zaoui back in the news

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...

Scared to negotiate . . .

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...

‘Lose-lose’ scenario for Nats

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...

Art in lights a spectacular sight

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...

Muttonbird numbers on the rise

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...

Cost-sharing deals a better precedent . . .

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...

Talk to me: healing nation’s divisions

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...