Coach Greg English, left, with Olivia Coulthard, Hunter Cameron, Cole Johnstone and Colter Yuile, Taradale Primary School students in the New Zealand Blackbots team that won the Rising Star Award at the 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition World Championships. Photo / Supplied
A team of Hawke’s Bay students representing New Zealand have been recognised at an international robotics event.
The New Zealand Blackbots won the Rising Star Award at the 2024 FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas.
Taradale Primary School students Olivia Coulthard, Hunter Cameron, Cole Johnstone and Colter Yuile, along with coach Greg English, formed the Taradale Terminators team that won the National Championship in New Zealand last December and earnt the right to represent the country.
The Blackbots competed against teams from around the globe in a series of challenges at the event which ran from April 17 to 20.
According to FIRST New Zealand, the Rising Star Award celebrates a team that has demonstrated exceptional skill, spirit and passion for robotics.
Coach and mentor English said he “immensely proud” of the team.
“The fact that they were presented with a trophy speaks to their high level of success in all four areas - amazing for a team that attended the NZ Nationals for the first time last year,” English said.
“From my understanding a New Zealand team has never been in contention for an award before in the First Lego League Challenge division, so winning an award from the 152 teams gathered from around the world was groundbreaking.”
“It is important also that we acknowledge we are part of a wider group of Nauwhea Hawkes Bay schools and our success is built on the back of the hard mahi of some passionate educators and other NZ Blackbots teams that have shared their knowledge and passion to grow this kaupapa and community.”
The trip was supported by the Taradale Primary School community and was fundraised through events including an Easter Raffle, Pizza and Cookie Day and a Movie Night.
Wine Dogs will once again take over Elephant Hill Winery from 10am this Saturday, raising money for Pound Pooches and Ruahine Animal Rescue in Central Hawke’s Bay.
Early bird and VIP tickets are sold out, but general tickets are still available on the Wine Dogs website for $65 and cover entry with wine tastings for humans and treats for dogs.
Kids are free and the event does not charge for the number of dogs.
Attendees can walk their pooches around the vineyard and stop in at tastings, pop-ups and vet services along the way.
There will be a dog fashion show with multiple categories and prizes.
Kin director Alice McKinley said visitors from Auckland, Wellington, Taupō, Waikato and Christchurch will come to the region to attend the event.
Pet food company Omega Plus is sponsoring the event again this year.
Two people were taken to hospital after two separate crashes in Napier on the evening of Anzac Day.
Emergency services responded to a collision between a motorcycle and a car on the intersection of Hawke’s Bay Expressway and Prebensen Dr about 6.10pm.
A police spokeswoman said the incident initially blocked the southbound lane.
A St John spokesman said one person was assessed at the scene and taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in a moderate condition.
Later that same evening a car reportedly drove into the middle of a roundabout at the intersection of Taradale Rd and Kennedy Rd.
The St John spokesman said one person was assessed at the scene and was transported to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in a serious condition.
A Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay spokeswoman said a man in his 40s had been discharged from hospital following the motorcycle accident.
A man in his 20s was in a stable condition after the incident at the intersection of Taradale Rd and Kennedy Rd.
State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō will be closed to through-traffic on Monday night for asphalting and line-marking.
NZTA Waka Kotahi says the road will be closed near Tarawera from 8pm on Monday to 5am Tuesday but there will be access for residents. On the following night, also from 8pm-5am, there will be 40-minute stops on SH5 at Waione Bridge (south of Tarawera).
At least seven other sites on the highway have traffic disruptions while Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) makes the most of autumn’s fine weather to continue safety improvements, repairs, recovery and maintenance.
A section of SH2 will be closed south of Dannevirke for most of the week, with a detour in place, and piloted thoroughfare for larger vehicles past a worksite at Tamaki River Bridge.
The Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank would like to reassure the public they are still operating normally.
They continue to receive large and small collections from many different people, groups and organisations, enabling them to digitise with upgraded and more efficient equipment.
A large focus will be placed on the collection of photos, stories, and documents in a joint project, with Radio Hawke’s Bay which will record verbal information to document Cyclone Gabrielle.
This will be a long-term undertaking and they expect a lot more information to come over the next few years.
The Knowledge Bank is also in the process of expanding operations to other areas, including Central Hawke’s Bay, Taradale and Wairoa.
They hoped to double current numbers and include distance volunteers to help with digital, transcribing, proofreading and online research.
If you are interested in volunteering or wish to learn more call Linda on 06 833-5333.
Police are appealing for information from the public after a ram raid at a superette in Haumoana on Saturday.
A stolen Mazda Demio was rammed into the front entrance of the Four Square at 12.35am in the middle weekend of the school holidays.
The vehicle was reported to entered the store on Clifton Rd and its two occupants took cigarettes and lighters before leaving in a second car.
While not reported missing at the time of the raid, the car had been unlawfully taken from Havelock North earlier in the night.
Police are appealing for sightings of the silver car with a distinctive white bumper.
If you have seen this vehicle and can assist the police in locating it or those involved, please contact 105 and quote file number 240420/5759.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is advising motorists of upcoming bridge maintenance on State Highway 2 near Dannevirke.
The Tamaki River Bridge, near Tamaki River Rd, will be closed and a signposted detour in place while bridge maintenance and asphalting takes place between 9am Monday April 29 and Saturday May 4 at 5pm.
Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it will be closed to all traffic while this work is completed.
The detoured routes are expected to add between 10 and 15 minutes onto journey times.
Teenaged Napier sprinter Rylan Noome has a lifeline to possible World junior championships selection after being named as one of New Zealand’s youngest-ever senior representative sprinters, for the June 4-8 Oceania championships in Fiji.
With personal bests at 100m (10.6s) and 200m (21.53s) at age 17 during the summer, he was closing-in on World championships standards of 10.5s and 21s when he tore a hamstring on-target 60m into a 100m sprint in February, and missed the national championships soon afterwards.
Hawke’s Bay police are appealing for sightings of Frend Kawenga.
The 38-year-old was reported missing after he was last seen in Haumoana on April 12.
“Frend is known to stay at freedom camping spots around Hawke’s Bay but he has not been located at any of those sites in recent days,” a police statement said.
A police spokesman said police had not located Kawenga as of Tuesday morning.
Police asked anyone who had seen Frend since 12 April, or who had any information on his whereabouts to contact Police via 105, quoting file number 240417/6928.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) are advising motorists of upcoming bridge maintenance on State Highway 2 near Dannevirke.
The Tamaki River Bridge, near Tamaki River Rd, will be closed and a signposted detour in place while bridge maintenance and asphalting takes place between 9am Monday April 29 and Saturday May 4 at 5pm.
Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it will be closed to all traffic while this work is completed.
The bridge closure will enable crews to complete the work faster, minimising ongoing disruption to road users.
Southbound traffic will be detoured along Laws Rd, onto Top Grass Rd then to Tamaki River Rd.
Northbound traffic with follow a detour along Maharahara Rd to Kumeti Rd, onto Top Grass Rd and then to Laws Rd.
The detoured routes are expected to add between 10 and 15 minutes onto journey times.
Where required, school buses and over dimension and overweight vehicles can be convoyed through site when needed.
A woman who was taken to hospital in a serious condition after a car crash in Hastings on Friday morning is now stable.
A car crashed into the roundabout on Hawke’s Bay Expressway, Omahu Rd, about 9.10am on Friday and landed in the trees in the centre.
The spokeswoman said the woman in her 50s was stable at Hawke’s Bay Hospital as of Monday morning.
The Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust said it has learned from a mistake made last year, relating to a privacy breach which arose from public submissions on its ownership review.
A review into that breach has concluded and changes have been made to prevent a similar mistake being made in future, namely by revising its processes for any future ownership review to anonymise submissions before being made public.
The Privacy Commision’s notification file on the matter has been closed.
A man critically injured after he was assaulted by youths in Waipukurau is now in a stable condition.
Police responded to reports of an altercation between a man and a group of youths in the middle of the intersection of Russell St and Herbert St about 11.35pm Wednesday night.
A Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay spokeswoman said the man in his 20s was in a stable condition at Hawke’s Bay Hospital as of Monday morning.
Eastern District Police are warning people to be aware of scammers offering shipping containers for sale on Facebook Marketplace and some local community pages on social media.
Scammers are said to be offering delivery at an additional cost and will even offer cheaper delivery if people “buy now,” but in the end, they will not provide the service and will likely block the victim or deactivate their Facebook account.
Police recommend steps people can take when buying items on social media.
They include:
Insisting on meeting a seller in person to inspect the goods,
Not depositing money into another person’s account before an item has been received, and,
Checking to see if the seller’s profile is legitimate.
People who fall victim to this scam are advised to report it to the police so offenders are held to account for their actions.
Reports can be made via 105 – either by phone or online at 105.police.govt.nz. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.