MAYOR Meng Foon said the new Parliament is the most representative of Gisborne and the East Coast in New Zealand history. Anne Tolley (National) had been re-elected MP for East Coast, Meka Whaitiri (Labour) re-elected in Ikaroa-Rawhiti and Kiri Allan...

Gisborne Hospital medical ward nurse Michell Krawczyk is happy district health boards and nurses have negotiated a collective agreement but says there could be ‘‘a bigger fight” in two years. The country’s 20 health boards yesterday concluded...

A “LARGER than life identity and one of the noteable characters of the district” — Barrie Gordon — was farewelled in a funeral service on Wednesday afternoon at the Bushmere Arms. Mr Gordon passed away last Saturday at the age of 88. He was...

Some will be 'counting down the hours to get back to the gym'

SCIENTISTS and administrators from evolutionary research organisation the Allan Wilson Centre met with Tolaga Bay Area School students and staff yesterday for a formal farewell. Funding cuts mean the scientific centre is to be disestablished but...

Family members of missing man Paul Stanley Blake have arrived in Gisborne in search of answers. Rob and Amanda Blake have not heard from their brother, better known as Stan, since he left Australia six weeks ago. Rob Blake and his wife arrived in...

Te Karaka people want to be able to evacuate safely when their town gets threatened again by floodwaters. The community wants the level of the road at Nesbitt’s Dip raised, so they can drive to safety, rather than have to climb the big hill south...

Authorities at Gisborne Hospital’s Ward 11 have been told by a judge to strictly supervise a male patient to ensure he is never alone there with females, even if it means stepping up resources. Joe Tuhoro Biddle, 65, appeared for sentence in...

New Zealand surf lifesaving championships

THERE was a touch of serendipity to help speed restoration of the once-derelict Plunket Building in Palmerston Road. Historic Places Tairawhiti (HPT) and Tairawhiti Heritage Trust have begun restoring the building after years of uncertainty about its...

THE fire risk across the whole of Tairawhiti has now reached “extreme” levels and principal rural fire officer Ray Dever said at certain times of the day it has become a real worry. The ongoing dry weather and warm to hot temperatures have ramped...

Nominations are open for the Gisborne Volunteer Centre 2020 Youth Awards. Any person or not-for-profit organisation can nominate young persons under the age of 25 for recognition. Gisborne Volunteer Centre (GVC) manager Jenny Greaves said many young...

THE Money Matters focus day last week, staged by Farming Women Tairawhiti, was a resounding success with over 70 rural women attending and the speakers covering many areas of managing money. It was held at the new Waikanae Surf Lifesaving Club...

Our Turanganui Syndicate Tekau ma Rua roopu would like to sincerely thank the following people for their support of our leadership trip to Wellington last weekend to watch the All Blacks vs Wales game. The learning we achieved through fundraising...

Most households can expect a small drop in their power bills this year. But high users will see small rises after lines company Eastland Network announced its new pricing. Eastland Network also revealed it is offering Time of Use tariffs for all...

'Reduce contact' alert stage to protect the over-70s

“THERE are places I remember, all my life, though some have changed, some for ever, not for better.”The overwhelming sentiment from former staff members and parents of newborn babies attending Monday's ceremony honouring Gisborne's former...

EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION is having the “hearts and minds of Maori” at the council table, Gisborne councillors have heard before a vote on whether to establish Maori wards in Tairawhiti. Indigenous rights advocate Tina Ngata made a submission at...

'Hellish situations at The Cut carpark'

TEN-year-old Lucy Hill and her dad Drew Hill from Gisborne were among more than 50 children and their caregivers who enjoyed a special scenic tour of New Zealand from the air in a 787-9 Dreamliner on Air New Zealand’s special Koru Care flight. Lucy...

District remains in a state of emergency; MetService predicts more rain on Wednesday

A MASSIVE scandal is brewing in Washington that will make Watergate look like an episode of the Simpsons. The House Intelligence Committee, which oversees the United States intelligence community, has been examining a shocking memo detailing systemic...

Flaky buttery pastry filled with sweet orange curd and topped with fluffy meringue . . . what’s not to love? For something a little different, try an orange meringue pie. It has all the zestiness of its classic lemon counterpart and is just as...

A teenager jailed earlier this year for indecently assaulting a sleeping boy after unlawfully entering a workmate’s house, has had his sentence converted to home detention. Despite the change to his custodial status, Leslie Jacob Oppert, 18, will...

Re: ‘Fill city with people’, Dec 2 story. Regarding the suggestion we need restaurants in Lowe Street, I personally would rather see Treble Court turned into a food court for family outdoor dining. Maybe with a “roof” to block the hot sun and...

Responses were almost evenly divided over this week’s webpoll question, “Do you agree with students going on strike over climate change?” A fraction short of 50 percent (271 out of 546 people) said no, while 48 percent (263) were in favour of...

Consumers spent more than $45 million in Gisborne last month and some city-centre retailers and business-owners have benefited from record takings. Latest figures from Paymark, which processes more than three-quarters of all electronic transactions...

Concerns re-worked sports hub plans 'second best'

The big yellow fellow is promoting the club’s annual Five Buck A Duck Race to be held Saturday lunchtime. The event is a fundraiser for Gisborne Life Education Trust and various Rotary youth scholarships and programmes including Outward Bound, an...

POLICE were happy with how the first night of the R&V festival went, with only one arrest necessary. A 21-year-old Wellington man was to appear in Gisborne District Court today on charges relating to the alleged sale of drugs.“Apart from that...