In 1874 the township of Gisborne sat on roads of muddy tracks and was home to about 400 European settlers. On January 5 of that year, inhabitants of the primitive colonial outpost could read the inaugural edition of the then-named Poverty Bay...
Patutahi Mike de Luze had a profitable Sunday end to 2023. De Luze won the junior men’s net on Christmas Eve with his low round of the year — 80-16-64 — then achieved the jackpot in the New Year’s Eve club competition. The winners of the New...
2024 has started tragically for Japan, with a series of earthquakes up to a magnitude of 7.6 striking the west coast of its main island on New Year’s Day that left 55 dead, sparked infernos amid destroyed buildings and led to tsunami warnings that...
Bob Hughes Many centuries before the 18th century Industrial Revolution, humans discovered fire and harnessed nature’s natural energy. We relied upon the Sun for warmth and progressed to harnessing wind, water and animal power, along with our puny...
Clive Bibby I have just finished reading the full list of this country’s New Year Honours recipients — you know, the system that was originally introduced to recognise those civilian role models who had, like the “Biblical widow”, given of...
The return of a confidential drug-checking service for Rhythm and Vines festival-goers was successful in keeping them safe, after discovering fake drugs at the event, the New Zealand Drug Foundation says. “We had a very busy and successful few...
In the week from 12.01am on December 27 to midnight on January 2 the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter flew a dozen completed missions, from a sea search and a car crash to medical, trauma and transfer events. It started early for the...
Gisborne police have confirmed they have a sexual assault investigation going into an alleged incident at the Rhythm and Vines event at the weekend. The allegation from a female festival- goer was received on Saturday. “We have been supporting the...
Police investigating a serious assault in Māhia on New Year’s Day morning have asked for any witnesses to come forward. A 34-year-old man was knocked unconscious, suffering a concussion and facial injuries, after he tried to break up an...
WARNING: This story details the murders of victims in unsolved cases and may be upsetting. Each year in New Zealand about 72 people are murdered. In 2019 that number ballooned to 131 because of the terror attacks in Christchurch where 51 people lost...
by Adam Gifford, Waatea News Norm Dewes, a champion of urban Māori, died on the last day of 2023. The Ngāti Kahungunu rangatira had lived in Ōtautahi Christchurch since 1961, when he moved from Wairoa as a 15-year-old to join a Māori Affairs...
Legal wrangles and the achievements of former residents proved to be the most popular news on the Gisborne Herald website this year. Notably, the Herald’s website was down for several days during Cyclone Gabrielle. The September 7 story about New...
It would take a cyclone at least to send stalwart camper Tony Coutts home from his favourite summertime locale. For the past 50 years — ever since his parents first took him there as a five year-old — Tony has spent every summer holiday freedom...
Gisborne’s surf lifesaving clubs, particularly Waikanae, High School Old Boys rugby and the business fraternity have been shocked at the sudden death of Alistair Thorpe. He died on Sunday, December 31, at the age of 69. Mr Thorpe was managing...
A Gisborne taxi company has confirmed out-of-town operators were caught price gouging at the Rhythm and Vines festival and is urging people to “keep it local”. Gisborne Taxis general manager Tikei Bell said people were “rolling the dice” if...
Stuart Brenchley has seen some gruesome injuries that required the response of a rescue helicopter and, as a result, has spent decades fundraising for services around the country. But until this summer, he had never been on board himself. “I’ve...
Georgia Ria had the home birth she had always wanted on Wednesday when baby Gideon Ria entered the world at 10.26pm — the first baby to be born in Gisborne in 2024. “I had always wanted a home birth but was always nervous that something could go...
Boaties say former mayor Meng Foon’s illegal seawall at Tatapouri is to blame for an unusual pile-up of sand that’s marooning their vessels and vehicles at the end of the slipway. Local boatie and former captain of the Gisborne Tatapouri Sports...
Multimedia artist Michelle Hinekura Kerr is a kairaranga, who descends from a whānau of weavers. Her art practice embraces the intergenerational continuity of traditional mātauranga (knowledge). Drawing on the learnings of her ancestry (Te Aitang...
This year Tairāwhiti Gisborne showcased exactly why it is the home of Rhythm and Vines. Warm weather and mostly sunny skies graced the region over the three-day festival period allowing festival-goers to claim their spot and be part of Aotearo...
THIS WEEK No Cigar After an epic run of shows in the UK and Europe, No Cigar are hitting the road again with 16 shows across NZ and Australia this summer. They will perform their brand new album The Great Escape, as well as many of the old...
The journey from nowhere to an Olympic gold medal is a tale as old as time. Just as well worn, but far less explored, are the stories about great athletes who realise they can’t make it anywhere unless they have a way to bankroll the trip. The...
DOME CINEMA Breakfast at Tiffany’s Romantic comedy-drama starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, based on Truman Capote’s novella about the relationship of high-society escort Holly Golightly and kept writer Paul Varjak. Directed by Blake...
“Nothing untoward, which was great” is how St John ambulance Tairāwhiti operations manager Shane Clapperton summed up the final night of the Rhythm and Vines Festival. He praised his team for the work they did over the four days. The ambulance...
A Lotto player from the East Coast had a nice windfall to end 2023 with a $200,000 win in Saturday night’s draw. The winning ticket had not been claimed as of yesterday. The ticket shared the First Division prize on Saturday night. It was bought...
Some Waiapu River valley residents are being driven from their homes this summer as an unprecedented amount of silt, generated by storms over the past two years, still suffocates the local landscape. Dust from those silt deposits is constantly being...
They came, they partied, they left. The population of Gisborne swelled by many thousands between December 29 and January 1 for the 21st Rhythm and Vines festival. They jammed the roads and the cafes and enjoyed the best of our weather
Gisborne’s beaches drew the crowds on Saturday and Sunday as temperatures climbed close to 30 degrees. Lifeguards at the three local clubs counted their blessings there was no appreciable swell. Hordes of R&V festival-goers, other visitors and...
Tairāwhiti Police have praised the thousands who attended the Rhythm and Vines music festival, but were frustrated at the number drink-driving on New Year’s Day morning as they left the district. They were also unhappy about the number of people...
The occupants of two cars that collided on Bushmere Road on Friday afternoon were lucky to escape serious injury, with four of them taken to hospital with minor to moderate injuries. It happened at around 5pm at the Bloomfield Road corner. “All...
Moving from a cramped building to new premises in Gladstone Road has been described as the highlight of the year for the Gisborne-East Coast Cancer Society in their 2023 Annual Report. The society has received comments from the community “and...
A somewhat forgettable 2023 ended on a high note for this district with thousands of people celebrating the new year at two hugely popular events — the final night of Rhythm & Vines on New Year’s Eve and Findlay’s Fire in the Sky fireworks...
Where are our councillors in all this?? We are almost a month into the Government’s 100-day plan and I am writing as a concerned Māma and member of our community to express my deep disappointment at the lack of voice exhibited by all of our...
It’s always dangerous territory to enter when a politician seems to start truly believing in their own spin, as it can have the unintended consequence of portraying the politician as being just a tiny bit thick. Take for example Finance Minister...