The transformation of Gisborne into fun city central’ has been completed as the 21st R&V Festival kicks into gear and the city bulges at the seams with predominantly young people here for a great New Year. Gisborne’s CBD filled up steadily...
Gisborne’s New Year’s holiday influx is well under way with our roads filling up and city centre bustling yesterday as the gates opened at Waiohika Estate for the 21st Rhythm & Vines. The music festival that has transformed this time of year...
Roger Handford In reply to those who have criticised my observations regarding pine trees, I would repeat it is land use practices which are to blame for our accelerated erosion problems and the associated issues of wood debris. When people cleared...
It has been interesting reading of the measures the public have to take to keep safe. As I was driven up to my family at Wharekopae on Christmas Day, I was horrified at the state of the road — both tarseal and metal. This road is publicised for...
Your paper recently carried an article over concerns about the high levels of Lake Waikaremoana (December 23), where the TUT spokesperson voiced concerns about the environmental impact. Incredibly, this is the same organisation that halted the...
A one-name unstoppable force of nature will be the enduring memory of 2023 for Tairāwhiti. A cyclone called Gabrielle — the French feminine form of the name Gabriel meaning “God is my strength” — tore its way through the district on...
Motu is getting ready to host The Shepherdess Muster in February, a first-of-its-kind festival where women can leave their cares behind and indulge in a long weekend of creative endeavours, entertainment, workshops and more. The immersive festival...
One marker of just how much has changed this year is the fact we started it with Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister. It wasn’t until after the summer holiday, on January 19, that Ardern revealed she was stepping down from politics as she no longer...
Bob Hughes King Charles III is a committed environmentalist with a long history of campaigning for better conservation, organic farming and tackling climate change. He wants to protect the planet for future generations. As Britain’s...
Various correspondents have criticised my letter suggesting a refuge for Palestinians in the Sinai Desert — with the wider world first urgently building the world’s biggest refugee camp, and potentially then upgrading it to a new and pristine...
It is perhaps unsurprising that as our wettest year on record since 1878 draws to a close, Tuesday should deliver one of the heaviest bursts of rain in living memory. A massive raincloud swept over the city from the west, heralded by thunder, and...
Patutahi The immense contribution George Brown has made to Patutahi Golf Club has been recognised. At Patutahi’s recent AGM, Brown was unanimously elected as a life member of the club. “He has certainly made a big contribution to the running of...
Kim Harris’s first sporting love will always be rugby. And the man who, with the late Poverty Bay men’s captain Garry Thompson, coached the Gisborne Boys’ High School first 15 who won the Moascar Cup in 1993 and the Condor 7s, Bank of...
by Andrew Ashton The Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan (TEAP) is set to be updated and presented to the new Government early next year to identify shared regional economic priorities and potential funding support. First launched under the last...
A man was taken to Gisborne Hospital on Tuesday evening after the ute he was driving left State Highway 35 on Tatapouri Hill and hit a water tank about 15-20 metres off the road. The crash happened at around 6.40pm near the camp ground. “The...
by Michaela Gower A jet skier in the right place at the right time saved three people after their kayak flipped off Māhia Peninsula about 9am yesterday morning. The two children and an adult were left clinging to the kayak, with one in the water...
A dream 10 years in the making was realised on Saturday December 16 with the opening of Ahi Kōmau Gemmells on Parade in Wairoa. The 184 Marine Parade rebuild, home to three businesses, blends the old with the new, paying tribute to the site’s...
Warning signs like this have gone up at the three city bridges that have traditionally been popular jumping spots for the district’s youngsters. Jumping from the Railway Bridge, the William Pettie Bridge (Rutene Road) and the Gladstone Road Bridge...
The closure of a Gisborne garden to asbestos contamination has upset a volunteer who dedicated more than 20 years of his life to working the soil there. In late October, Gisborne District Council closed the community-run Turanga Gardens indefinitely...
“Excited and looking forward to the opportunity,” is how Makauri School’s new principal Cambell McNaught summed up the year ahead . . . not without some sadness, though, for departing principal and friend Brendon Fiebig. Mr Fiebig made the...
Permanent and temporary liquor bans are in place for the city and district leading up to the New Year celebrations, with designated areas where consuming alcohol in a public place will be a “no-no”. “Tairāwhiti will see a significant influx...
Herald photographer Liam Clayton captured this picture of the system, which brought torrential rain, thunder and lightning to the city on Tuesday afternoon, heading for Whangara. He snapped it at 2.18pm, from the top of Makorori Hill looking towards...
by Lillie Rohan It’s the country’s most iconic New Year’s event, and justdays out from celebrating its 21st birthday, Rhythm and Vines is back for its biggest year yet. Set to welcome 21,000 people to Gisborne’s Waiohika Estate, the annual...
The St John ambulance team who will care for the R&V festival-goers over the next few days have set up their medical centre on site and it will become operational at midday today. The professional and volunteer officers at R&V helped about...
The annual flood of Rhythm and Vines festival-goers into the region began yesterday and will gather momentum today ahead of the first performances tonight at the Waiohika Estate site. R&V this year is set to draw a crowd of around 21,000 to...
by Doug Laing Masterton shearers Paerata Abraham and Chris Dickson fell 20 short of their target in a bid for the World two-stand eight-hours strongwool lambshearing record. But it was a case of if-only for the pair who sheared more than the record...
Ten months after Cyclone Gabrielle, bad weather has left the recovery for many East Coast and Tairāwhiti farmers stuck in the mud. And while there is hope forecast dry weather will arrive soon, a return to normal could be years away. The sprawling...
I must take strong exception to Mr Caddie’s attempts to establish the myth that pine trees are some sort of “bad guy”. The Monterey pine, Pinus radiata, that we have here has been extensively modified and adapted for New Zealand conditions...
It has been interesting to read the letters about the Māori language and Lara Meyer’s responses. Lara hopes that te reo Māori will become the most spoken language in Aotearoa in her lifetime. I do not know Lara’s age but I am 77 years old and...
Another Christmas has come and gone leaving some New Zealanders facing a return to work today, joining those who have spent the time in jobs such as emergency and essential services. For many others it’s a case of being halfway through a holiday...
Providing extensive training to Aratu Forests Ltd staff to respond to a fire has been one way the Gisborne forestry company has been preparing for fire season. Summer brings the threat of fire to the front of mind for Aratu, and it has been actively...
Kaumātua of Tairāwhiti were able to connect with each other, celebrate and enjoy themselves after a few years of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and severe weather events that impacted on their lives. The Anglican Kaumātua Ball was an...
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is supporting Woolworths in its recall of its Summer Berry Mince Pies due to the possible presence of fine metal. “The concern with this product is that some fine wire may have got into these mince pies due to...
Wairoa District Council is backing a proposal to lower the local election voting age to 16, to improve New Zealand’s “embarrassing” voter turnout. The council put forward its view in a submission on the Electoral (Lowering Voting Age for Local...