Latest from Gisborne

Corrections workers strike after ‘insulting offer’

Gisborne Community Corrections workers walked off the job yesterday after members rejected the department’s pay offer following nine months of negotiation. Workers who are members of the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi...

Locality Plan pilot hailed as ‘unprecedented opportunity’ for region’s health needs

Te Tairāwhiti has been chosen as one of 12 regions to pilot a Localities Plan — a whānau and community-led approach to health planning and priority setting which will inform future health investment. The Localities Plan, Te Aka Whai Ora-Māori...

Crisis 'upon us': medical centre forced to reduce its operating hours

The best of a lot of bad options. That is how GP and part owner of Three Rivers Medical Fergus Aitcheson describes a reluctant decision to reduce the medical centre’s hours of operation. Its hand has been forced by years of underfunding and...

SH2 south closed for 48 hours next week to fix Morere culvert

State Highway 2 will be closed for 48 hours next Wednesday, so roading crews can replace the collapsed culvert at Mōrere, north of Nūhaka. “This is a significant piece of work, but we realise it also requires disruption to people’s lives. We...

Jailed for assault on woman out walking her dog

A morning walk with her dog by the Wairoa River turned into an ordeal for a woman when a mentally ill man tried to kiss her and drag her off into bushes. The woman managed to overpower him, picked up her dog and ran to the nearby road where she...

Burials still on hold

Options considered as water table level remains high Burial suspension notices because of the high water table level at Taruheru Cemetery since Cyclone Gabrielle remain in place. The latest suspension notice was put in place on April 5, and while it...

Contractors in alliance to tackle recovery work

Higgins Contractors has signed an agreement to work alongside a group of experienced contract partners on a cyclone recovery plan for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti. In signing an interim alliance agreement today, Fletcher Building Construction...

Sixth visit for container ship, service 'going well'

The coastal container ship Rangitata docked at Eastland Port yesterday, unloaded 32 empty containers, then loaded 23 full of meat and bonemeal for shipment to Napier. It was the ship’s sixth visit to the port. “The container shipping on the...

Trust the vital ingredient in co-governance models

It is interesting comparing an opinion piece from columnist Sarah Sparks writing on the “Stuff” website recently — on the decline in trust in government institutions in many parts of the world — with some wise comments attributable to one of...

Invest more in new state houses, save on motels

The main cause of hardship and poverty for many low-income families and beneficiaries is the exceptionally high price of rent, and the only cause of high rents is the shortage of houses to rent. While this Government is to be admired for housing...

Hedgehog diplomacy: our way forward in a militarised world

Porcupines are challenging to swallow; they make a great deal of noise and — when threatened — release a chemical stink bomb to deter attackers. They also happen to be pretty unattractive. This spiky rodent has been invoked by Australian Deputy...

More local voice in Govt's new water services plan

The contentious “Three Waters” reforms have lost that label and gained a lot more local voice through a reduced level of centralisation — with the Gisborne District now matched with Hawke’s Bay — plus what we can expect to be a concerted...

Fibre bypass at Hikuwai Bridge No.1 the latest step in ‘vast and ongoing restoration effort’: Chorus

A new fibre bypass has been completed next to Hikuwai Bridge No. 1 on State Highway 35, 17 km north of Tolaga Bay. It is a “significant step” towards bolstering the durability of a core fibre network repair in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone...

Playgrounds off limits after cyclone

It might be school holidays but children will find play options slightly reduced this year, with the Botanical Gardens playground still closed. “The Botanical Gardens playground has been closed since Cyclone Gabrielle due to the softfall being...

Funeral grant little use to low-income families

Low-income families are facing heart-wrenching decisions when it comes to farewelling their loved ones. The Funeral Grant administered by Work and Income NZ has gone up but is still “woefully inadequate”, says Gillian Boyes, chief executive of...

Wairoa road repairs get $17 million boost from Waka Kotahi

Efforts to reopen Wairoa’s cyclone-damaged roads have been given a $17 million funding boost from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. The funding will be tagged for initial response and costs to get roads open, drainage and alignment work, as well as...