Latest from Gisborne

Rhinos end Te Kuzzyz winning streak
DARTSTe Kuzzyz had their winning streak ended in a close battle against the Rhinos in the A Grade of Turanganui a Kiwa Darts Association’s Brezz’n Sports Club Tuesday night competition. Rhinos won the match 11-10, while Assassins also had an...

Delight in fifth generation whanau
Not many people can say they have lived long enough to see five generations of their family. Lassie Mihaera (nee Rangihuna), 87, is one of the lucky ones. Last December she went to Brisbane Australia, as she does every year, to visit her family. This...

Vaccine roll-out begins
Today is a big day for Tairawhiti. The national Covid-19 vaccination programme started in Gisborne this morning with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine being administered to border workers. The local roll-out of the vaccine “signals an important milestone...

BoP lends hand
HELICOPTERS and health providers from Bay of Plenty have been called on to maintain health services on the flood-ravaged East Coast. Speaking at this week's health board meeting, Hauora Tairawhiti district health board chief executive Jim Green said...

Fined for abuse of customary fishing
A Mahia man authorised to issue customary fishing permits for the peninsula has been fined $750 for enabling two known poachers to take paua. He was refused a discharge without conviction at an earlier hearing. Morehu Shane Cooper, 54, pleaded guilty...

A rose by any other name
Organisers are expecting a riot of colour and fragrance at the annual event at the Farmers Air Gisborne Event Centre this weekend. Rose and iris blooms will be on show along with other garden plants, produce and floral arrangements. An additional...

Gisborne cements reputation as go-to sporting destination
GISBORNE lived up to its reputation as a sporting paradise at the weekend. The city hosted major surf lifesaving and equestrian events in ideal, if challenging, conditions and its teams performed up to and beyond expectations. The three-day Bay...

Out to prove he’s the catch of the days
Former Gisborne man Gordon Mead is in the running to be the Fieldays Rural Catch for 2019. The competition started today at the annual Fieldays at Mystery Creek in Hamilton. Up for grabs is $20,000 in prizes and the Golden Boot Trophy. Gordon, 29, was...

Baby dies of sudden infant death syndrome at Gisborne Hospital
A baby with a tummy bug died at Gisborne Hospital in what is believed to be a tragic case of sudden infant death after co-sharing a bed with his mother, instead of sleeping in a cot offered by a nurse. While no one is to blame for the 12-month-old...

Spark internet, landline outage
Spark customers in the Gisborne-East Coast and Wairoa area were affected by an outage from 4.30pm yesterday. The outage affected all broadband, including fibre and landlines until 3.30am this morning. A Spark spokesman said he was unable to give...

NZSO cancels tour
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) has cancelled a seven-date North Island tour including two Gisborne performances due to the country moving to red in the Covid-19 Protection Framework. The Art of Fugue tour was to begin in Wellington on...

District warms up after frosty blast
A RETURN to warm northerly conditions overnight meant no frost this morning. This was in contrast to the previous two mornings, which delivered glazed windscreens courtesy of the hardest frosts of winter so far. Sunday morning saw the air temperature...

Being Jesus
“The funny thing is, Jesus doesn’t have much to do,” says Wellington bass singer Roger Wilson of his part in the Gisborne Choral Society’s upcoming production of Bach’s St John Passion. The oratorio is lifted from John’s account of...

Wairoa river needs help
Erosion at North Clyde is a visible reminder of concerns about the state of the Wairoa River. Wairoa residents are hoping the river's health has not been forgotten in the wake of the Provincial Growth Fund's $6.1 grant for rejuvenation of main street...

Let’s repair the line now
Re: Kopuawhara disaster. My father worked at this site but was one of the fortunate ones who was home for the weekend in Gisborne when the tragedy occurred. Our thoughts go to those unfortunate people who were killed. We must not forget the sheer hard...

Roading upgrades a 'game changer'
Provincial Growth Fund investment into the region’s roads is “game-changing”, say Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri and East Coast-based list MP Kiri Allan.“From Gladstone Road to Tokomaru Bay, I consistently hear from whanau who are...

Mapping the riverbed
Mapping to better understand the amount of gravel and sediment moving through the rivers at Waiapu and East Cape catchments will take place this month. The Gisborne District Council is working with local contractors Landpro to map the riverbeds using...

Gisborne contract bridge results
MONDAY, February 26 — Sean Shivnan Pharmacy Open Championship Pairs 1North/South East/WestPhilip Beale/Michelle England 72.45 Hans van der Kuijl/Katrine Matthews 66.44Bette Parker/Trish Corson 60.88 Ron Janes/Yvonne Doole 59.72Jean Turnbull/Robyn...

Rewarded for service to community
THE work of a group of volunteers was acknowledged at the annual Gisborne District Council’s Citizens Award Ceremony in the foyer of the War Memorial Theatre on Wednesday. Led by Mayor Meng Foon, the civic award recipients were presented with...

Rutene Road stormwater upgrade resumes
The Rutene Road stormwater upgrade is expected to start up again next week.“We are aiming for as little inconvenience as possible once the works get started again,” said Neville West, 4 Waters infrastructure manager.“In the first phase of work...

Attitude the ‘big fix’
The attitude was a bit off. Defensive lapses and lack of physical ferocity had Poverty Bay on the back foot against South Canterbury, who stormed to a 37-8 lead before winning 40-29 at Rugby Park on Saturday.“A bit off the pace, mentally” was how...

Engineering scholarships offer ‘a real head start’ for career
Students looking for a career in engineering can once again apply for an Eastland Group Tertiary Engineering Scholarship, which could be worth up to a total of $20,000 over four years.“We employ engineers right across our business sectors...

‘Great’ immunisation figures
The efforts of many in the health sector have resulted in improved rates of immunisation, says a Hauora Tairawhiti report. The figures for June were ‘‘great’’and showed ‘‘the eight-month, two-year and five-year rates moving upwards...

Passionate about Aotearoa surfing
In more than 20 years, Gisborne man Cory Scott has captured thousands of magic surfing images that have graced the pages of the country’s leading surf publication, and now he is the owner of New Zealand Surfing Magazine. The 44-year-old talked to...

Rare Mahia bird found dead in Napier
A MAHIA-based tuturuatu, or shore plover, one of New Zealand’s rarest creatures, has been found dead on a Napier beach. The bird — named Obow after her leg bands — was found at Westshore, Napier, all the way from her Waikawa (Portland Island)...

Bridge results
TUESDAY, February 7 — Summer Pairs 2 (Howell movement): Elizabeth Jackson/Carolyn McMurray 61.67; Helen Kerisome/Pippa Williams 59.58; Joy Marden/Yvonne Key 57.92; Jean Bennett/Robin Bennett 54.17. WEDNESDAY, February 8 — Summer Pairs...

Cicadas call stumps on summer song
The nightly noise of cicadas made its appearance with last week's run of hot weather, raising the question of what it means for the length of summer. Before the rain arrived over the weekend, there was a run of hot days which raised ground...

Workshop postponed
Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum executive director Francois Barton's talk on mental wellbeing in the workplace has been cancelled due to Covid-19. The event, organised by Gisborne Chamber of Commerce, was to be held at Wainui Surf Life...