All Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers across the country have been named as Kiwibank Mitre 10 Community of the Year recipients. Photo / Kiwibank
All Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers across the country have been named as Kiwibank Mitre 10 Community of the Year recipients. Photo / Kiwibank
Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers have been recognised at the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards.
All Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers nationally were named as finalists in the Community of the Year category and won that accolade during the ceremony on Wednesday night in Auckland.
“In the aftermath of devastating flooding, a diverse group of Cyclone Gabrielle volunteers have stepped up to help, showing unwavering dedication and embodying the spirit of unity and solidarity in times of crisis,” the nomination said.
Dr Jim Salinger, a distinguished international climate scientist, was named New Zealander of the Year.
A group of tertiary students are heading to Hawke’s Bay next month to promote rural health careers to high school students.
The hands-on workshops come as Hawke’s Bay experiences a severe lack of health professionals in rural communities.
“With more than half of our rural practices facing vacancies and a number of GPs on the brink of retirement, the importance of attracting healthcare professionals to rural areas remains apparent,” the Hauora Taiwhenua-Rural Health Network spokesperson said.
On Monday, April 8, the speakers will attend Te Aute College, Iona College and Woodford House. On Tuesday, April 9, they will speak at Havelock North High School and on Wednesday, April 10, they will carry on to Central Hawkes Bay College, Napier Girls’ High School and Napier Boy’s High School.
“We must prioritise the encouragement of more individuals to pursue a career in medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and allied health professions, with a focus on rural placements,” Hauora Taiwhenua chief executive Dr Grant Davidson said.
“Strong evidence shows the higher likelihood of students with rural origins returning to and giving back to their rural communities.”
Crash in Havelock North
A pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in Havelock North on Thursday.
Police were called to the crash at 8am on Te Aute Rd.
Hato Hone St John responded with one ambulance and one rapid response vehicle.
The pedestrian was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in moderate condition
Railway barrier arm failure causes traffic delays in Hastings
A railway barrier fault caused traffic to build for just under an hour in Hastings on Thursday.
Police were called to South Hampton St West and South Hampton St East around 1.35pm, to manage traffic.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said a fault affected the barrier arms on the crossing and they remained down after a train passed through the crossing.
Staff attended and the fault was repaired just before 2pm.
Identify your target: It could be a trophy stag...or a fellow hunter.
Police are urging hunters to take care with firearms as the Roar hunting season starts this Easter.
Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, said New Zealand hunters, in general, have a good culture around firearms safety, but it only takes one mistake to ruin many people’s lives, and the deer Roar has a spike in these types of incidents.
Director of Partnerships Mike McIlraith said hunters didn’t need to rush to shoot the first deer they saw and should take their time and wait until they saw the whole animal.
“We’ve boiled it down to three key reminders for hunters this year – make a plan for your hunt and stick to it; always treat every firearm as loaded; and identify your target beyond all doubt,” he said.
Power cut to 420 properties in Hastings
A brief unplanned power outage occurred in Hastings on Wednesday.
It affected parts of Te Aute Rd, Mount Erin Rd, St Georges Rd, and Longlands Rd East.
A spokesperson for lines company Unison said the power cut around midday impacted up to 420 customers, half of which were quickly restored.
Full restoration of electricity was completed by 1pm. Unison fault staff were on site working to determine the cause.
Car and cyclist collide
A boy in his teens was being assessed in Hawke’s Bay Hospital early on Wednesday evening after being injured when a car and a cyclist collided in Napier earlier in the day.
Police said the incident happened in Gloucester St, Greenmeadows, about 3.30pm.
A person was initially reported by police to have received serious injuries and St John Hato Hone confirmed they had taken a patient to hospital with serious injuries.
Hawke’s Bay’s building apprentices to compete in day-long challenge
Building apprentices from across the Hawke’s Bay will battle it out on Saturday 6 April at the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Apprentice Challenge sponsored by ITM.
Competing for the title of the Hawke’s Bay’s NZCB Apprentice Challenge winner and a spot in the national final, the apprentices will be tasked with completing a challenging project over eight hours that will put their skills to the test.
The design plans for the project will be revealed to apprentices one week ahead of the competition. The day-long challenge requires proficiency in a raft of carpentry skills, with a focus on attention to detail and time management.
To decide the winner, a judging panel of building practitioners and industry educators will assess each apprentice’s technical skills and technique, the quality of their workmanship, precision of measuring and cutting, assembly and ability to work to a detailed plan – all while working against the clock.
Each project must meet minimum safety standards, and competitors will be provided with durable, trade-quality timber and materials from ITM to complete the project.
The event will be held at Hawke’s Bay Homes, 1139 Maraekakaho Road, Hastings and is open to the public to attend and support local building talent.
The event begins at 8am and the best time to attend is from 3pm onwards, with the winner being announced around 5pm.
The Taylor Hawke’s Bay Hawks were on Tuesday close to completing their roster with confirmation of the promotion and signing of Hawke’s Bay age groups representative and shooting guard Isaac Cox.
With another import to be confirmed, the Hawks expect to have a roster of 18 registered players, of whom 12 will make the trip for a new two-match format - the franchise’s first match in a new Rapid League followed by the NBL clash.
Car retrieved from water
A car was retrieved from the water next to a bridge on State Highway 51 at Awatoto on Sunday morning.
A police spokesman said there was a single-vehicle crash on SH51 near the Waitangi Bridge at 5.14am.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said a car had gone into the water and had to be retrieved following the incident.
Waipukurau grass fire
Firefighters battled a vegetation fire off Porangahau Rd in Waipukurau on Saturday which started just before 9am, and covered an area of about 35m by 30m at its height.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said the fire was in “deep-seated grass” and firefighters were on the scene for about three hours extinguishing and dampening it down.
He said no buildings were damaged.
Truck fire at Kotemaori
Firefighters had to extinguish a truck fire along SH2 at Kotemaori on Sunday morning.
The blaze happened about 4.45am. The cause of the fire is unclear.
