Latest from Gisborne Herald

Govt ‘no’ to commissioners replacing GDC, implementation may require help

Environment Minister David Parker has responded to questions about whether the Government might appoint a commissioner to take over resource management functions, powers and duties of Gisborne District Council, as recommended by the Ministerial...

‘Failure to act is not an option’; land-use report recommendations supported

Doing little or leaving it for tomorrow will be too late, say Tairāwhiti iwi Te Aitanga A Mahaki, Ngāti Porou and Ngai Tāmanuhiri, who support recommendations made in the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use report. “We can no longer tolerate the...

Coming To A Storm Near You: Rocket Lab announces new mission

Gisborne Herald photographer Liam Clayton took this stunning shot of thunderclouds over the ocean from the Chalet at Okitu before sunset. This was one of several great photos he took including a rainbow from the Titirangi lookout and a lone surfer...

Health worker stunned at proliferation of vape stores in Gisborne

Gisborne has 29 vape stores — the highest per capita of anywhere in New Zealand.

Court hears of innocent party shot and killed during gang altercation

Cellphone footage taken on a night in Titoki Street, Elgin, last year recorded the sound of two rifle shots ringing out. One of those hit and killed Gisborne woman Maraea Marata Smith on her birthday. Two people accused of murdering Ms Smith, who...

Sense of freedom restored as State Highway 2 reopens

The reopening of State Highway 2 south to Hawke’s Bay has come as a welcome relief to many in the region with the first vehicles travelling through Devil’s Elbow and Waikare Gorge on Sunday morning. That stretch of the highway had been closed...

Recommendations from Ministerial Inquiry into land use welcomed but parts seen as ‘grab for control’

Organisers of a petition that led to the Ministerial Inquiry into land use have welcomed the release of the inquiry panel’s report and support most recommendations. However, Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti are critical of the report’s coverage of issues...

Gisborne man critically injured in crash off Mahia road

A Gisborne man was critically injured in a vehicle crash at Mahia on Sunday in which the ute he was driving left the road and rolled. The Trust Tairawhiti Rescue Helicopter was called to the scene at around 11am on Sunday morning. It happened on the...

Cyclone recovery eats into Budget

The Government set the scene for Budget week with a nearly $1 billion flood and cyclone recovery package, which is in effect a further down-payment on its expected $4.5bn to $9bn share of the overall cost. A large part of the funding announced on...

Trial for people accused of murdering a woman in Elgin last year starts on Monday

A High Court trial for two people accused of murdering Gisborne woman Maraea Smith, is scheduled to begin on Monday. Ms Smith, also known as Maraea Turnbull, died on her 36th birthday after being shot in Titoki Street, Elgin, at about 9.45pm on...

District council ‘fundamentally disagrees’ with parts of land inquiry panel’s damning report

Recommendations released today from the ministerial inquiry into land use here have been slammed by Mayor Rehette Stoltz after it found the council was in “dereliction of duty”. “We are extremely disappointed in the findings of the panel and...

Inquiry panel chair Parata backs ‘even-handed’ report

“We can substantiate all of it.” Land Use in Tairawhiti inquiry chairwoman Hekia Parata adamantly defended her panel’s report when it was released at a press conference in Gisborne yesterday. Responding to Mayor Rehette Stoltz’s concerns...

Progress on assessing flood-damaged areas

Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson has set out the next steps for property assessments in areas affected by the severe weather events earlier this year. “I am encouraged by the work the taskforce, councils and insurance companies are doing...

Man jailed on firearms and drugs charges

Storm-doomed cannabis plot found during police search of offender’s property Armed police sent to the home of a Ruatoria man after he threatened a local with a firearm discovered he was growing a huge outdoor cannabis crop likely to be worth...

Much greater depth required for new Hikuwai No1 Bridge foundations

The piles required to support the new Hikuwai Bailey bridge on State Highway 35 north of Gisborne will be going deeper to ensure a solid footing for construction. The Bailey bridge will replace the Hikuwai No. 1 bridge, which was damaged in Cyclone...

Recommendations in Land Use report ‘need to be taken seriously’: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers Gisborne-based forestry spokesperson Toby Williams is urging the Government to act quickly on the recommendations made in the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use report. “The Government needs to take the recommendations in this...