Machinery went back on the city beachfront again on Thursday to conduct yet another cleanup of driftwood debris from the most recent heavy rain event. Photo / Murray Robertson
Machinery went back on the city beachfront again on Thursday to conduct yet another cleanup of driftwood debris from the most recent heavy rain event. Photo / Murray Robertson
Gisborne’s beaches have begun to get back to their best thanks to rapid work by contractors Siteworx Civil in removing the latest driftwood buildup.
Contractors have been raking up the medium to larger-sized debris and trucking it off the beach for disposal. Considerable progress has been made since they started on Thursday. Photo / Murray Robertson
They had moved past Roberts Rd by mid-morning and also began grooming the beach areas in front of Midway and Waikanae surf life-saving clubs, to pick up and remove the smaller pieces of driftwood.
“We should be up past Midway with medium and bigger stuff by sometime on Monday.”
Siteworx Civil also removed driftwood debris from around the mouth of the Okitu Stream (Hamanatua Stream) at Wainui.
The council had contractors open up the mouth of the Okitu (Hamanatua) Stream at Wainui, a move welcomed by the Wainui Surf Life Saving Club.
They also opened up the mouth of the stream to allow more direct flow into the sea, a move welcomed by Wainui surf lifeguards.
Gisborne District Council woody debris programme manager Rod Sheridan said the team targeted large logs around the mouth of the stream that posed a risk to people and the environment.
“The community may notice that smaller debris is left behind. We are taking this approach to maximise our funding and ensure that we can remove as much risk as possible from our beaches.”
Three Gisborne fires on Thursday
Firefighters in Gisborne city were called out three times on Thursday to fires that involved a gas pipe leak, overcooked food in a microwave and burning driftwood debris.
The first came in at about 11am and happened at a house in Kaiti.
“A contractor was doing some work on a gas pipe in the house with a grinder that started a small fire in the wall,” a senior firefighter said.
A fire crew had the fire out quickly.
“Everyone got out of the property alright, though the contractor suffered some minor injuries.”
Firefighters were called to a home in Whataupoko at 2pm where some food cooked in a microwave had overheated and started to burn.
“The incident illustrates the care people should take when setting the timer on their microwaved food,” the senior firefighter said.
The third call for the day, at 11pm, involved an investigation.
“We were called to the quarry in Matokitoki Valley, where a burn-off of debris was under way.”
“The fire was well-managed and controlled and it was left to burn.”
The firefighters took no action.
The first sheep sale of 2025 at the Matawhero yards on Friday was positive with good prices paid in the Ewe Fair and store lamb prices up from pre-Christmas.
‘Good demand’ at year-opening Ewe Fair sale
The first stock sale of 2025 at Gisborne’s Matawhero saleyards on Friday was the annual Ewe Fair and stock agents involved say it got the year off to a positive start.
