Gwynne Dyer I’m looking at a headline this morning that screams “AI Creators Fear the Extinction of Humanity”, and I suppose they could turn out to be right. But it’s still a bit early to declare a global emergency and turn all the machines...
Chat for a while with Respond creator Dugald Hamilton and you learn very quickly that he is driven to ensure the world becomes a better place for future generations. It’s all about the impact excessive amounts of chemicals have had on the soil...
by Dr Andrew Cribb, East Coast Farm Vets With an incredible amount of rain over the last year it’s not surprising there have been cases of Leptospirosis in farm animals, as well as working dogs. Leptospirosis is caused by the bacteria Leptospir...
Fencing has provided Eliza Maher with so much more than a practical skill. “If I can build a fence, I can do anything,” says the 25-year-old from Māhia. She grew up around fencing, helping her dad Bruce and sometimes accompanied by mum Julie...
Maori Paati president John Tamihere’s crawl back to the Beehive has no bounds. Plan A: Sued the Labour Party in 2019 after renewal of membership was rejected. Fail. Plan B: Illegal $500,000 loan from his Waipareira Charitable Trust to fund his...
Just watched Paddy Gower Has Issues re logging slash. The blame for pine slash lies fairly and squarely with the forest owners. They are the ones who dictate what becomes of slash, screw the logging contractors for lower harvesting prices and set...
Re: Farmers facing high inflation, May 31 story. It is great that Beef and Lamb NZ CEO Sam McIvor confirms “New Zealand sheep and beef farmers are playing their part to address climate change, improving our waterways, and protecting New...
Simin Williams When Kerry Worsnop wrote a column to bring the failure of the 111 system during Cyclone Gabrielle to our attention, Bob Hughes had the audacity to dismiss it heartlessly saying “Keeping 111 going during events like this is a big...
The homeowners worst affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent flooding events have been getting the news they were both waiting for and dreading, on the risk and rebuild status of their property. Seventeen homeowners in Tairāwhiti have been...
The temporary Air New Zealand link between Napier and Gisborne ends next week but will be replaced by early morning flights to Wellington and Auckland. “Air New Zealand is proud to have been able to provide a temporary air service between...
Military payloads will continue to be approved for launch from Mahia, under the new national Space Policy. Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds launched the policy on Tuesday, following public consultation, including public meetings in...
Gisborne Volunteer Centre is excited to be bringing a little star power to the Two Minutes of Good Stuff film festival with Hilary Barry, from TVNZ’s Seven Sharp, presenting this year’s awards. The Two Minutes of Good Stuff film festival was...
A whole lot of horsepower of the non-equine variety will be on display this King’s Birthday weekend as part of a fundraiser for Gisborne Riding for the Disabled (RDA). Surf City Rod and Custom Club is putting on the display which will feature an...
A court has rejected a man’s claims he should be reinstated to a Māori land trust from which he was ousted for breaching trustee duties. Apirana Henderson was the chairperson of a six-member trust that managed the Wharekahika A47 block — just...
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is improving the resilience of State Highway 2 from Gisborne to Waioeka Gorge as part of the Government’s initial fund for cyclone-related emergency repairs and road works. Alongside the foamed bitumen stabilisation...
About 100 participants will brighten up the stage at the War Memorial Theatre this long weekend with the return of the Braemar Dance Club competition. The popular event was not held in 2020 and 2022, because of Covid-19. Entrants are coming from...
A second stakeholder has left Tairāwhiti’s Covid-19 regional response group Rau Tipu Rau Ora (RTRO) in as many months. In April, economic development agency Trust Tairāwhiti wrote to RTRO announcing its withdrawal, a decision it said it did not...
Applications have opened for $10,000 grants to improve New Zealand’s waterways. NZ Landcare Trust and Westpac NZ award six grants of $10,000 every year through the Westpac Watercare Project to support sustainable initiatives for rivers, lakes...
Keen to see return of coastal container shipping after successful three-month contract The coastal container route between Eastland and Napier ports has ended after successfully operating for three months in support of local businesses impacted by...
Government promises support for councils and for owners of flood-hit properties deemed Category 3 after Cyclone Gabrielle
The hunt for a new candidate in the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti electorate was a running joke at the Māori Ministers’ post-Budget breakfast last Wednesday, after incumbent Meka Whaitiri jumped from the Labour waka a month ago to stand for Te Pāti Māori at...
Wayne Scott Every week this year on average, one or more New Zealand workers will likely be killed in a workplace accident. America’s continuing mass shooting tragedies confirm for many Kiwis the insane nature of that nation’s tolerance for...
Re: Demise of two forestry contractor businesses sparks fears for industry, May 30 story. I really feel for the contractors being left in the lurch by forest owners. But calls for the Govt to step in and subsidise wages is a bridge way too far. The...
Re: 4.30am wake-up by logging trucks, May 26 letter. There are a lot of things you can do to help you sleep. There are also many people who start work at 4.30am or earlier — the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker are up and going to work...
A book review — Hands of Time by Rebecca Struthers. This might seem a “dusty” subject but is extremely interesting, on a few fronts. The author has a Ph. D in antiquarian horology. The history of timepieces is covered, including...
A total of 945 cattle sold in the Cattle Fair at Matawhero saleyards on Tuesday, in a sale that can best be described as an opportunity for many farmers to sell odd lines, in preparation for winter. However, there were several pens of rising...
Gisborne District Council is asking anyone in Tairāwhiti with the capacity, capability, and the right equipment to get large woody debris out of the region’s waterways to get in touch, and soon. Chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann said...
New data has highlighted the crucial role surfers play in carrying out surf rescues across New Zealand, and there have been instances of that happening on Tairāwhiti beaches. There have been a few reported rescues by boardriders in this district...
KiwiRail cannot give a timeline on how long it will take to repair the Wairoa to Napier railline. The rail line is part of the Palmerston North to Wairoa main truck line but was wrecked by Cyclone Gabrielle in February. The line to Hastings reopened...
Motorists have been advised to “take it easy” on the highway south out of Tairāwhiti to Hawke’s Bay over this King’s Birthday weekend. That’s the message from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. “State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Napier...
Looks like it is going to stay soggy underfoot, if MetService’s latest monthly outlook is anything to go by. The official weather agency is forecasting a “stormy and unsettled June”, with it being wetter than usual in many places. MetService...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor toured several cyclone-impacted areas of the region on Tuesday and has assured growers and farmers more recovery support is coming from the Government. The Minister visited the Wi Pere Trust operation at Te...
Female secondary school students are donning hi-viz vests and turning their hand to driving diggers and trucks, climbing power poles and checking out some of New Zealand’s largest energy generating assets while they suss out a career in the...
A group of Waipaoa residents is calling on the district council to fix their rural road after silt from cleared drains turned their thoroughfare into “greased lightning”. David Hunt lives about 20 kilometres out of town on Branson Rd, an are...