Rock-scaling starts on Sunday night on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa. File photo / NZTA Waka Kotahi
Three weeks of new disruptions are scheduled on State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa as the rocks stars of the Hawke’s Bay transport rebuild work at night to remove loose rock from cliff faces above the road.
The rock-scaling, which NZTA Waka Kotahi says is “critical”, starts on Sunday and will be from 8pm-5am each night at Devil’s Elbow and Waikoau Hill except Saturday nights, but Transport Rebuild East Coast (Trec) crews will be on-site until the end of June.
Traffic management will be in place, with delays of 15-25 minutes expected at each end, and motorists travelling between Wairoa and Napier are being advised to plan for delays while the work takes place overnight, but there will be access for emergency services.
Both sites were scaled for rocks following Cyclone Gabrielle last year and a subsequent assessment showed more loose-rock to be present.
The Baby Hawks will be out to keep their NBL Rapid League hopes on track in Saturday’s basketball doubleheader hosting Otago Nuggets at the Pettigrew Green Arena.
The development squad has an almost unblemished record since starting the new curtain-raiser basketball beaten 34-33 away by Tauranga side Whai in the sides’ debut, but have won all six matches since and challenge for the lead. The Nelson Giants have also been beaten just once.
The game starts at 3pm, followed at 4pm by the Sal’s NBL match, with the Nuggets sixth and the Hawks seventh, vying for places in the top six.
Last Saturday, the Hawks were heading for a possible upset win over Auckland Tuatara in Auckland, level 80-80 at the end of the third quarter but being beaten 120-96 as the Tuatara poured in 40 points in the remaining 10 minutes.
A Wairoa sheep dog trialist has gone within a whistle of adding one of the first titles of the 2024 island and national championships’ series.
Competing at the South Island championships that started on Monday at Meadowbank, Marlborough, Ned George, who won the 2022 national straight hunt title with sheep dog Sprocket, was top qualifier for the seven-pair South Island zig zag hunt runoff with new hope Fred, but had to settle for second place overall, beaten by just 0.25pts by Marlborough pair Hamish Linton and Edge, of Pelorus.
Tutira farmer Clark Chrystal, who won the South Island and NZ zig-zag hunts last year in South Otago, with a dog named Jude, claimed fifth place in this week’s South Island straight hunt, with Rip, with first place going to Hamish Parkinson and Grit, of Kaitieke, in the Ruapehu district.
As at late Thursday the heading runoffs were still to be held, and the North Island and New Zealand championships will be held at Mangamingi, Taranaki, starting on May 27.
The 19-year-old man arrested following a fiery head-on crash in Waipawa that left two critically injured will appear in court for other traffic offences while police consider charges.
The crash on High St, SH2, near the intersection with Collins St about 1pm on Saturday, left a third person with serious injuries.
A police officer clocked one car involved travelling at 130km/h as it entered the outskirts of the town.
A police spokeswoman said charges for the crash have not yet been confirmed, but the man also faced charges for other offences including traffic offending.
He is due to appear in Hastings District Court on May 21.
A Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa spokesman said one person was in a serious condition while another was in a stable condition, both on a ward as of Wednesday.
A Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay spokeswoman said a teenage male was in a serious condition at Hawke’s Bay hospital as of Wednesday.
A driver fled after crashing into a police car in Napier on Wednesday.
The car was travelling at speed north along Battery Rd in Ahuriri around 7pm when a passing police car turned onto the same road.
A police spokesperson said the speeding car “hit a raised island and spun into the police vehicle,” which left the police car damaged and immobilised.
The driver fled the scene and was seen by police near Thackeray St before fleeing again.
The car was later found abandoned on Darwin Cres in Maraenui and a female passenger was detained.
Police are making inquiries to locate the male driver.
The Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust has appointed two new directors to the Unison Networks Board.
Wendie Harvey and Jon Nichols will take up their roles in August 2024.
Harvey is currently chair of Hawke’s Bay Airport and has extensive experience as a director, trustee, lawyer and business consultant. Nichols is an experienced director and consultant with a background in accountancy. Both have been involved with Unison in the past, with Harvey previously being the general manager operations support and Nichols filling the role of commercial general manager at the company in the early to mid 2000s.
“Trustees are confident that Wendie and Jon will bring dynamic thinking and positive challenge to the Unison Network Board table,” Trust chair Diana Kirton said.
Nichols and Harvey will replace current directors Lucy Elwood and Phil Hocquard, who retire by rotation following the company’s annual general meeting at the end of July.
A car crashed into a power pole causing traffic delays in Napier on Thursday.
Police were called to the crash at 6.35am between Ford Rd and Austin St.
A police spokesperson said the crash blocked one lane towards Napier city centre.
“The road was described as being very busy at the time and there was some traffic backlog.”
The driver was uninjured.
Police have found drugs and firearms in a person of interest’s van on Marine Parade in Napier.
Patrolling officers saw the man with a warrant for arrest around 11.50pm on Tuesday.
The driver was taken into custody and the vehicle was seized.
A police spokesperson said when the van was searched, “two firearms, ammunition, cannabis oil/plant and magic mushrooms were located.”
Charges are being considered for a 50-year-old man, police said.
Motorists using State Highway 50 between Takapau and Ongaonga are likely to notice crews installing roadside safety barriers and rumble strips over the next few weeks.
Crews will be onsite near Ashley Clinton just south of Tukituki River Bridge from Thursday, preparing for the installation of the barrier. Around 200 metres of barrier will be installed on the southbound lane of the highway.
In addition, later this month, crews will install rumble strips on the stretch of SH50 from Ongaonga to Takapau.
While these works take place, there will be stop/go traffic management in place, and lower temporary speed limits between 30 km/h and 70km/h from 6am to 6pm.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said drivers can expect delays of up to 10 minutes as a result of the work.
Senior project manager Chris Mahoney acknowledged the temporary delays will be frustrating.
”Ultimately these safety improvements will help reduce the possibility of crashes in the area and minimise the risk of injuries from any crashes.”
The work is due to be completed by the end of June.
New Zealand’s longest-running Biodynamic farm, run by Hōhepa Hawkes Bay, recently hosted a special ‘Festival for the Future’ to commemorate 100 years of biodynamic farming.
The event aimed to showcase the importance of sustainable farming practices and honour biodynamic agriculture’s legacy in New Zealand.
Biodynamic farms use living soil, which provides health and nutrition without chemical fertilisers or hydroponic growing.
Hōhepa has run its biodynamic farm since 1957 and was one of the first six farms to be certified and the last one still in operation.
A traditional pōwhiri took place at the Ātea a Rangi, and guests enjoyed a nourishing breakfast and a series of presentations that explored the origins, successes, and future prospects of biodynamic farming.
A special dinner also saw farm-grown produce consumed.
Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay chief executive Santiago De Marco thanked all attendees for their support and dedication to the celebration’s success.
“Our vision of ‘Every Life Fully Lived’ resonates deeply with the impulses set 100 years ago, and this celebration reaffirms our commitment to sustainable agriculture and inclusive social development.”
A woman in her 60s is stable in hospital after she was hit by a car in Greenmeadows.
Emergency services responded to the collision involving a car and a pedestrian on Gloucester St about 3:10pm on Monday.
A St John spokesman said at the time one person in serious condition was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital by ambulance.
Work on deconstructing the Tōmoana Showgrounds grandstand will begin next week on May 13, following a blessing of the site on Monday.
A building assessment conducted in October last year confirmed significant deterioration to the condition of the grandstand’s roof and support structure, making the building unsafe.
Hastings District Council bought the showgrounds in April last year. Council ownership meant it would be officially designated a reserve, protecting it as a community green space.
Central Demolition has been selected to undertake the deconstruction. The intent is to recycle as much material as possible to avoid sending it to the landfill.
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the showgrounds were very important to the community and the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society.
“The grandstand is a historic symbol for our community - it’s been loved by many people since it was built in the 1960s, and we acknowledge those early community leaders and Hawke’s Bay A&P Society committee members who worked so hard to provide this asset for the wider community.
“This area is also hugely significant to the Tomoana whānau and wider Waipatu community, and it’s important that this historic connection to this area continues to be fostered as we consider the future of what happens here.”
The work is expected to take four months to complete.
Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd is supporting Hawke’s Bay charity Christian Lovelink by opening her doors to blanket donations heading into the colder months.
Wedd said Christian Lovelink was doing its bit to address poverty in the community and is encouraging the community to donate clean blankets to her office.
“The doors to our office are always open for our constituents, and for the blanket drive, we will be opening our doors for blanket donations. I hope to see dozens of warm blankets coming through our door.”
In Hastings, the Christian Lovelink team assist hundreds of families across the region. The charity gave out 1100 blankets last year and would like to be able to reach that number or, better yet, increase it this year.
For the week of May 13, people can drop the blankets off at the Tukituki Electorate office, 129 Queen St East, between 9am and 4pm.
Hawke’s Bay road users are advised to factor in one-lane overnight closure on State Highway 51 when travelling this week.
From Monday, May 6, crews will complete resurfacing work at the intersection of SH51 and Waitangi Rd as part of a scheduled maintenance programme.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said while this was not part of the current safety improvements, completing the work at the same time has minimised the potential for delays at a later date.
The southbound lane of SH51 between Awatoto Rd and Farndon Rd will be closed nightly between 8pm and 5am, starting on Monday, May 6 and ending at 5am on Saturday, May 11.
During these overnight closures, access will remain open for residents and businesses in the area.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advised people to add 20 minutes to their journey or avoid the area during this time. A sign posted detour will be available.
Dates are subject to variables such as weather and may change at short notice.
Firefighters were called to an electrical fire in the ceiling of a Waipukurau home on Sunday after a passer-by noticed smoke.
Crews from Waipukurau Fire Station were called to the home on Pōrangahau Rd around 2.20pm and responded with three fire trucks before calling in an extra support vehicle from Hastings.
Waipukurau chief fire officer Steve Walker said the cause was believed to be an electrical fault in the ceiling.
“We had it under control within about 40 minutes, and an hour and a half later it was extinguished, but we waited around checking for hot spots.”
He said no one was home when the fire broke out they left the property just after 5pm.
“It’s one of those rare types of fires so it’s nothing owners could have prevented, it is just one that you can’t put any safety messaging around - it’s one of those things that happen in older dwellings.”
Shaz Cameron saw the fire when walking home with her partner around 2.30pm after work.
“There were lots of people at the property sitting in the front yard just watching it burn.”
She said her heart broke for the property owners and there was a strong smell of smoke.
“As we got closer we saw the fire trucks and people on the street. There were three fire engines trying to put the blaze out.”
Walker said the fire was caught early on, and there is no major damage to the structure of the building apart from in the roof cavity.
Hawke’s Bay Police are urging people to put cell phones away when driving after they issued 20 infringements in Hastings in just one hour on Monday.
Police set up a checkpoint on the corner of Nottingley Rd and Omahu Rd between 8am and 9am where the tickets were issued.
Hawkes Bay Road Policing Sergeant Paul Ormerod, said it was important drivers “make it click” as well as putting phones away.
“Not wearing seatbelts and distractions are large contributors to whether you walk away or are carried away in a crash.”
Motorists can expect to see police out on the roads “anywhere anytime” as they work to reduce crashes and the serious injuries that result.
Bikes are set to light the night in Hastings’ city centre next weekend with a prize for the most eye-catching rider.
Organiser Neill Gordon, of Bike Hawke’s Bay, said the Illuminati Night Ride on Saturday, May 11, would be “A whanau-friendly party on wheels”.
“It’s all about promoting safe cycling and having fun,” Gordon said.
Anyone with a bike can take part and someone will win a $200 cash prize for the best decorated one.
Riders will gather in The Atrium next to Brave Brewing from 5pm and set off at 6pm on a short route that will take in the Clocktower fountain and Civic Square.
Between 20 and 50 riders are expected, including four towing light sculptures made by Hawke’s Bay creatives.
The event is free and people can register interest by emailing nightridehb@gmail.com.
Police have named the man who died in a workplace incident in Ongaonga, Hawke’s Bay on Monday, April 29.
He was 62-year-old Michael Gabor Horvath, from Ongaonga.
Police were called to an incident on a private property on State Highway 50, near Blackburn Rd, at 11.09am.
WorkSafe has been notified. “Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this difficult time,” a police spokesperson said.
Sustainable Hawke’s Bay is forming a Youth Committee for young people who are keen advocates and want to take action to make a difference
Zoe Solomon, Sustainable Hawke’s Bay youth board member, said they are looking for people between the ages of 12-24 and passionate about sustainability, biodiversity and resilience.
“Are you part of the generation who will be charged with safeguarding our environment in years to come, politically, practically, and passionately? Join the Sustainable Hawke’s Bay Youth Committee and make a real difference today for our region tomorrow,” Solomon said in a statement.
Interested people should contact Dana Hartley by email at dana@sustainablehb.org.nz for an application form.
Nicole Pendreigh will wear a top with the names of 115 women killed on runs.