The rivers of bitumen flowing on Morere Hill and throughout the Gorge road are the worst in more than 40 years. It’s clear that NZTA, in its drive for efficiency, has been using an inferior bitumen product that is not fit for purpose in hot...
In response to Merv Goodley (Road is No. 1 priority, December 16 letter) — I have been to “Gizzy” and I have seen the damage, but I have also seen the engineers’ reports and spoken with the local council and Government Ministers about the...
As someone fortunate enough to live in the comparatively affluent Waikato town of Cambridge, may I offer you my sincerest apologies for the selfish actions of my local Waipa District Council. Like pretty much every council in New Zealand, WDC is...
If Israel is to finally remove the deadly threat posed by Hamas, it must aim for the total annihilation of that terrorist organisation. On all occasions in the past when it has been at war with its enemies, it has been forced to accept an armistice...
A balmy summer evening set the scene at the Poverty Bay Polo Club in Bushmere Road for an inaugural evening polo match with invited guests from Frocks On Friday (FOF) and supporters from Hear4U watching from the stands. The “frock star” guests...
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi encourages people to plan ahead for their summer road trips. The agency says it can be easily done with the popular online holiday journeys traffic prediction tool which shows predicted traffic flows over the...
The Gisborne District Council offices close at 4pm today and reopen 9am, Monday January 8. Urgent inquiries will be dealt with on the 24-hour line 0800 653 800. Non-urgent requests can be reported via the GDC Fix app or online request form. Kerbside...
A rāhui has been placed over part of the Mōhaka River in Hawke’s Bay after a man drowned there while rafting over the weekend. A post from iwi Ngāti Hineuru said on Tuesday a blessing had taken place “at the location where our whanaung...
A new website designed to get Tairāwhiti locals out and moving went live today. Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails Trust (TTT) — formerly known as Gisborne Cycle & Walkway Trust — has put together information on multiple trails across the district...
The region looks set to remain in an Open Fire Season until early next year at this stage as the fire risk remains moderate, said Fire and Emergency NZ’s Tairāwhiti community risk manager (CRM) Trudi Hicklin. This will be the first time for some...
The Beef + Lamb NZ-organised community get-together in Ūawa last week was another “fantastic event”, well attended and supported by the Ūawa farmers and rural community impacted by Gabrielle. It was held at Mangaheia Station at Tolaga Bay. The...
If the tar seal on roads starts melting, then it is definitely time to use sunscreen on human bodies. Research in recent years has shown just how seriously ultraviolet radiation can damage the tarseal component of road surfacing. UV changes the...
The week-day paid surf lifeguards have started patrols on Gisborne and Tolaga Bay beaches. They will be on duty until near the end of January. A 17-strong team of lifeguards were inducted into their roles on Monday and Tuesday, and patrols started...
A bright orange gazebo will be a fixture at the boat ramp on the Inner Harbour over summer. Māori wardens will be there from Thursday to Monday each week between 10am and 6pm, promoting safe boating. Harbourmaster Peter Buell will be putting in an...
A Gisborne district councillor is calling for increased transparency around workshops following a stern word from the Ombudsman to some councils around the country. In October, chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier released findings on his investigation...
A nativity play written by the late Iris Burgess was performed on Tuesday for the third year in a row for Beetham HealthCare residents. Beetham staff perform the play “for the benefit and enjoyment of our residents”, said general manager Diane...
The 2023/2024 season is full steam ahead for Gisborne City Vintage Railway with its iconic Wa165 steam train setting off on its third trip full of cruise ship passengers to Muriwai on Saturday. The Crystal Symphony is making a 15-night journey...
A lack of data held by the Department of Corrections on accommodation for former prisoners has raised concern among law and criminology experts as new research details the social cost of unstable housing. In July,
Coming-of-age music festival is itself set to come of age.
Bridy Rihari-Lundon (Ngāpuhi, Waikato Tainui) has had a big year — not only was she this year’s valedictorian for the Tairāwhiti Campus of EIT|Te Pūkenga and just had a successful exhibition, but she has also won a top award. Bridy is...
What's on this week? Spotlight screening Die Hard (M) will be screening from 7pm at Dome Cinema tonight. 38 Childers Road. Bar & pizza on offer from 5pm. Build-a-band Every Thursday night at Smash Palace, from 7pm to 11pm. Motivate your muso...
An abundance of kai, an acknowledgment of the wetland on which it is built, and the visual tension between the structures all come together to form a new mural for our region. The smart new artwork on the changing sheds at Heath Johnston Park has...
From a young age, Brian Wright can remember drawing whenever he had the chance; now, as an adult, he has turned this passion into his full-time mahi. Wright, 51, grew up in Matawai. At school, he was always drawing and his teachers were always...
Council last week voted for an average 12 percent per annum increase to rates for the next three years — mostly to pay for cyclone repairs and recovery, including payouts to the worst-affected property owners. Perhaps designing and fixing roads...
OBR taken down by 5 wickets as defending champions win third consecutive title in the weekend’s showpiece.
Success was shared around when Poverty Bay Bowling Club members held their annual Rex Rigney Christmas Tournament on a sunny afternoon. The Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village-sponsored event was run as a progressive triples tournament. This meant...
The final average yield of maize grain (9.8t/ha) for the 2023 New Zealand harvest was down on that obtained last season (11.5t/ha), according to the just-released AIMI survey result. The final average yield of maize silage (19.0t dry matter (DM)/ha)...
LAMB The latest edition of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s lamb crop report points to a 2.6 percent or 526,000-head lift in lambs tailed nationwide this spring, up to 20.9 million. This was driven by improved lambing percentages as the number of ewes...
The potential 11.4 percent rates rise reported yesterday for next year, based on a council media release, is actually an indicative 11.4 percent rates cap for the next three years. In response to a query seeking clarity on this, council chief...
by Roger Handford A huge rates increase? On top of the toughest times for many people? Mayor Stoltz — your council is robbing the poor to pay for rich dreams. I don’t know why the district’s residents put up with it. And thanks for the message...
I cannot believe that this consistently inept council are going to hit us with another rates rise. I understand that rates are a must but try as I might, I can’t see where they are being spent where they are needed. Gisborne looks like a town...
Can someone from NZTA or the roading industry explain why it is that as soon as there is more than one day of warm — not hot, but warm — weather our roads turn into rivers of melting tar? State Highway 2 at Morere is a prime example where the...
Re: Signs should be te reo first, December 9. Normally I do not get upset reading opinion letters, but this time I feel a writer has lost her marbles. Why make te reo Maori words dominant on street signs? Tourists need to know very easily where they...
Three of the MetService’s top meteorologists have been in the city to better understand the region’s needs in adverse weather events. The meteorological scientists ran a two-day workshop with the Tairāwhiti Emergency Management Office team...