The Government finds itself thoroughly on the back foot over its Health and Safety Reform Bill — facing ridicule in fact, which is a great pity because reform is badly needed. Problems for the Government and its embattled Workplace Relations...

Gisborne District Council contractors demolished the Waikirikiri Playground on Thursday morning. A statement from GDC said the playground failed to meet safety standards in a recent safety audit and was unable to be repaired.“Work is already...

BARS have been installed across four bench seats in Gisborne's central business district to prevent homeless people from lying on them. But an advocate for the homeless says education is needed, rather than putting up a barrier. A business in the city...

THE question of when to start feeding babies solids is among the most worrying decisions parents have to make, says 'The Nourished Baby' author Julie Bhosale. Dr Bhosale will talk about her research and findings in a presentation in Gisborne on...

Drug treatment centre 'desperately needed': anti-meth community advocate

I was interested, but not surprised, that TV coverage of the Tolaga Bay flood meeting was disallowed. Was it at the public or council’s request?Another question, after previously reporting in a Q&A forum — where the question was how often does...

I don’t know whether it’s just my perception or whether the election circus has developed new dimensions this year — so many promises of things bidding politicians are telling us we want — to be paid for with our money. It is so easy to lose...

The council is set to make a major backtrack on its approach to the Long-Term Plan (LTP) which will repair its position with regard to wastewater treatment and disposal commitments, and rile those who accuse it of fiscal profligacy. There was...

Hauora Tairawhiti has apologised to a Gisborne couple and says it will review processes around how people receive help from its mental health team. At around 2am on Wednesday of last week, a Gisborne woman told her husband she wanted to end her...

Two teams unbeaten in local competitions so far

Re: Keen to see youth councillor sit at the main table, Sept 17 story. As a keen member of the Gisborne District Youth Council for the past three years, and the youngest local body election candidate for the City Ward at 18 years of age, I felt I...

The race to replace National's retiring East Coast MP Anne Tolley has started for real with the electorate's first meet the candidate being held last night. National candidate Tania Tapsell, Labour candidate and list MP Kiri Allan and Green Party...

I wrote a letter a couple of years ago complaining about the poor condition of the non-members stand at the Gisborne races. I’d just like to say thank you for the tidy-up. The seats were clean and there were no visible nails. It was appreciated...

“There is something special about Tairāwhiti, I think that we have had a really strong tradition of takatāpui (sexual and gender diverse individuals) here and for longer, says Green Party MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere. The historic meaning of...

DISCOVERERS of various aspects of evolution such as Charles Darwin and New Zealand’s Allan Wilson are now joined by Dr William Peters, who returns to his home town this week to launch the publication of his findings. One year ago the pioneer of...

REGULAR Dry July participant Tess Brownlie knows all about the anguish cancer can bring.“I've been observing Dry July for years now,” she said.“I lost my dad to cancer 12 years ago and I have had other friends and family members die from it...

A YOUNG child drowned in a backyard swimming pool at a house in Gisborne on Wednesday afternoon and emergency services have extended their sympathies to the family in the wake of the tragedy. Police and St John ambulance staff were called to the...

THE new Tairawhiti Fire Plans have been completed following a period of consultation and have been made available for the public to view on the Fire and Emergency NZ website. The plans came into effect from July 30 and cover the next three...

District begins mammoth task to clear wood debris after ex-tropical Cylone Hale

Geordie Bull loves driving into Gisborne for the Poverty Bay A and P Show. His father Martin is from the region. He is remembered by many as a great horseman who did a lot of breaking and shepherding, and hunted the hounds in Mahia and Hawke’s Bay...

The most advanced and expensive telescope ever built is going to explore the “cosmic dark ages” and hopefully see into the first galaxies and stars since the universe came to be. The James Webb Space Telescope (known as JWST or Webb) infrared...

A WAIROA man who sexually abused two of his nephews was yesterday jailed for five years by Gisborne District Court judge Warren Cathcart. The man’s details are not being published to protect the boys’ identities. His name will now be entered on...

A man turned himself in to police after deliberately slamming his partner’s arm in a car door during an argument at Tatapouri Beach, Gisborne District Court was told. Rihara Eruera Raharuhi Maxwell, 34, appeared for sentence by Judge Warren...

Re: CBD parking meters. As an old hat, I was so used to the old meters, so it was time to change. After parking in Peel St outside the library, I walked down to the new meter and followed the instructions: rego and money entered, all good, pressed...

A rocket launched from Mahia last night marked a “major step” towards being able to make rockets re-usable, launch company Rocket Lab says. The mission, named ‘Running Out Of Fingers’ in recognition of Rocket Lab’s tenth launch, lifted off...

I have refrained lately from the ‘male v female' and the cultural-guilt discussions that have dominated your columns lately, as most of them do not auger for a better society locally or around the world in general. While the “British”...

From a Neil Diamond tribute to The Beatles a capella. From ukuleles to hauntingly beautiful Celtic music . . . the Musical Medley concert in aid of Alzheimers Gisborne Tairāwhiti had it all on Saturday. The fundraising event made about $1800, almost...

A brain injury survivor told Gisborne District Court a woman got it all wrong when she thought she saw him assaulting a man outside the public library. It was he and associates who were under attack, the accused, Louis Rehutai, told the judge. The...

The end of February marks the traditional end of summer and it seems to have been like one of those traditional summers we all remember from our childhood. A lot of hot days, many over 30 degrees with not too much rain to be had. In this region we...

Plans to upgrade the existing mountain biking trails within Whataupoko Reserve have been accepted by Gisborne District Council. Gisborne Mountain Bike Club approached GDC with a proposal to develop and extend riding trails at the reserve in Fox...