Latest from Gisborne

Bitter medicine required

The current toxic shellfish warning is another sign of poor land-use decisions. What we do on land ends up in the sea — poisonous seafood is the payback we get for abusing Mother Earth. Algae and phytoplankton blooms are not just the result of...

Central back-to-back champions

Central School were the winners of the Division 1 Interschool netball tournament that ran through term 3 and Muriwai School took out the second division. There were 18 local schools competing this year, which was contested on a home-and-away basis...

New draft season, new team names

Fangs and claws are being sharpened for Round 2 of the second Gisborne Basketball Association Draft League. The inaugural competition was a huge hit last year and in with new team names, inspired by big cats. This weekend's action at the Gisborne...

Campion taste victory in third round

Hamish Swann was a happy captain last Saturday. His Campion College team have now tasted victory three rounds into the 30-over Hope Cup championship of Senior B club cricket. In beating Horouta by 39 runs, the school team won the Naden-Taylor...

Air Force A109 helicopter wows students with ground visit

The chop of helicopter blades filled the air at Gisborne Intermediate yesterday when an air force A109 light utility helicopter dropped in for a flying visit. The chopper stayed on the ground for the visit and a talk to the students, before...

Heavy rain on the way

Another bout of heavy rain is on the way for the district, according to the severe weather outlook from MetService. A low is developing west of the North Island and is expected to deepen today, then move over the North Island tomorow, although the...

Plea to ensure fires are out

Firefighters were called to burning driftwood at the mouth of the Waipaoa River on Thursday and they have made a plea again for people lighting fires on the beach to ensure they were completely out before they leave the beach. Fire and Emergency NZ...

Numbers here reflect fifth wave of Covid

Covid-19 numbers are up in Tairāwhiti with 74 active cases, as the country experiences a “fifth wave” of the virus. The latest official figures, for the week up to midnight last Sunday, showed 5942 cases were recorded across the nation. Health...

‘Vibe of the guys’ has Van Der Nagel heading to Te Puia Springs for the East Coast Open

Bay of Plenty masters representative Craig Van Der Nagel isn’t far away from becoming an adopted Tairāwhiti local. And he will move a significant step towards that this weekend when he heads up State Highway 35 to play in the East Coast Open at...

Seniors going home

The return of all senior club cricket to the Harry Barker Reserve tomorrow is great news. In Round 4 of the 40-over Premier Grade Doleman Cup matches to start at 12 midday, Bollywood High School Old Boys will clash with Breakers Horouta Te Waka on...

Artificial Intelligence for dummies

Gwynne Dyer I’m sorry I didn’t get my article on Artificial Intelligence in earlier this month during the “AI Safety Summit” at Bletchley Park, the historic World War 2 decoding centre in England. I got distracted by other stuff happening in...

Enough on our plate — funds for CBD can wait

To those calling for council to “do something” about the alleged scruffiness of the CBD — don’t you think the district has enough on its plate at the moment? Every time someone demands council “do” something, they should remember...

Fluffed their chance to make amends

The scene was set last week for the council to make good after three years of messing around Musical Theatre Gisborne, which was seeking medium-term certainty over council land it leases in the industrial subdivision so it can go ahead with...

Rich environment for ‘very proud iwi’

A kura at Omaio, south of Te Kaha, has been recognised by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects at its annual awards ceremony. The awards took place at St James Theatre, in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington last night. Te Kura o Te...

Waikawa haven for tūturuatu

by Jack Ward Surviving on Waikawa (Portland) Island is not for the faint-hearted, especially for a tiny bird. Always under the watch of nearby Māhia Peninsula and Rocket Lab, the island is only a kilometre from the mainland yet the sense of...

Rebel Robbie a better man 25 years on . . .

The irony wasn’t lost on some when Robbie Williams told the crowd at his Mission concert on Sunday that he had been sober for 24 years. A cheer erupted from thousands of adoring fans as they tipsily thrust their pinot gris, rose and shiraz-filled...