Latest from Gisborne

Walker-Leawere serves ban for cannabis use

Tairawhiti-raised Hurricanes lock Isaia Walker-Leawere has served a one-month ban from all sport after testing positive for cannabis use. Walker-Leawere tested positive after the Hurricanes played the Fijian Drua in Suva in May and served his ban...

New foundation trustees 'believe in our kaupapa'

The Sunrise Foundation welcomed new trustees Mike Torrie, BDO managing partner, and Leslynne Jackson, Manaaki Tairāwhiti project manager, to their board of trustees at the recent AGM. “Mike and Leslynne’s respective roles and experience in the...

Serious Fraud Office could be looking at cyclone grant fraud

The Serious Fraud Office with neither confirm nor deny if it is investigating cases of fraud here around misuses of the Government’s recent cyclone recovery business grants. Earlier this week, the SFO issued a new strategic focus, listing...

Latest figures show 153 with Covid-19 in Tairāwhiti

Tairāwhiti has 153 cases of Covid-19, according to the latest figures released by Te Whatu Ora. Total Tairāwhiti cases “recoded” since the Covid epidemic began in 2020 number 24,820 and include 35 deaths. All Te Whatu Ora data on Covid relates...

Bridge-strengthening programme on hold as GDC prioritises storm recovery work

Gisborne District Council is to suspend its programme to strengthen existing bridges during the current financial year because staff have been reprioritised to focus on storm recovery work. The $650,000 annual programme was implemented to enable 50...

Tairāwhiti farm conversion stats 'alarming' says Beef + Lamb NZ

New research shows the scale and pace of sheep and beef land purchased for forestry is even higher than first thought. An updated Orme & Associates report on land-use change from pastoral farming to large-scale forestry shows the amount of land...

Helping working mums to continue breastfeeding

Workplace challenges remain the most common reason for women to never breastfeed or to stop breastfeeding earlier than recommended. That is the key issue behind the theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2023 — Enabling breastfeeding: making...

Opposition to Tokomaru Bay United Sports Club increasing its footprint at park

A council decision to approve a lease in principle on culturally significant land in Tokomaru Bay was made without a full swathe of information available to councillors, a report has revealed. Last September, Gisborne District Council’s operations...

Gran Turismo drifts onto the big screen

In 2006, a Nissan marketing executive had a truly insane idea to create a competition and an “academy” to turn gamers into race car drivers. Darren Cox saw an untapped market of potential car-buyers in Gran Turismo enthusiasts — the popular...

Old slip has slumped . . .

In my letter of August 2, I said that on the Opoutama side of the big slip at Blacks Beach, there was an old, 1 metre slump, 40 metres long and covered in blackberry that I bet no one else had seen . . . and that it could go any day. Note, the slump...

Keep speaking up Colin

I read of councillor concern that “GHL’s dominant asset is being lined up to be sold”. This is not a new plan, as our community has watched assets being sold off by sell-off types meant to represent us before. National and local...

On walkouts and gifts that have no currency

by Clive Bibby It is hard to differentiate between those who walk out of meetings, probably to gain a headline on the 6pm network news, and those who attend because they desperately need to hear of some government action that might ease the pressure...

Hard lessons from the Covid pandemic

by Marcus Roberts Maxim Institute director of research Nigel Lawson’s aphorism “to govern is to choose” reminds us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. When a government chooses a particular course of action, it necessarily has less...

Existing GP workforce ‘need to work harder’

A new report on funding for general practices has highlighted what has been a growing risk — the pressure on the country’s front-line doctors. Prof Des Gorman, who co-authored the report Lifeline for Health: Meeting New Zealand’s Need For...

Shearing season poised for record attempts

by Doug Laing A wave of shearing record attempts in the New Zealand summer means a record has fallen even before the shearing has started. The World Sheep Shearing Records Society has now received seven applications for challenges in New Zealand...

Victory for veteran Charity sheep dog trial champs

Veteran triallist Barney Strong from Taupo headed home the field in the final runoff for the Charity sheep dog trial championships at the Gisborne Riding Club for the Disabled on Saturday morning. The finalists were Merv Utting with Guy and Steel...