Latest fromGisborne

Alleged theft includes a water feature, alcohol
A woman accused of stealing more than $16,000 worth of alcohol and other goods — including a water feature — from local shops, failed to front at court when her case was called this week. Krystal Kelly Love, 38, who is listed on court documents...

Friends from Japan set up prestige event to support cyclone recovery
Plans to hold a charity auction to raise funds for our flood-stricken region in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle are well under way, with the opportunity for local businesses, organisations and services to become sponsors or donate to the event...

Pardoe surprised, humbled by doctorate honour
Tairāwhiti kaumatua Stan Pardoe has received an honorary doctorate from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi for his contributions to Mātauranga Māori — an honour that humbled and surprised the 80-year-old. When told of the honour in a phone call...

Man paid more than $50,000 to keep extortionist at bay
Having already extracted more than $50,000 from a Wairoa man by essentially blackmailing him, a woman went to his workplace to demand more money. But police were there waiting to arrest her. Diane Sandra-Leah Winter pleaded guilty in Gisborne...

Taiwan — ignore China’s conniptions
Gwynne Dyer China has been having conniptions again. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan had a courtesy meeting last week with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. Beijing reacted by issuing a “stern warning” to the...

Wellington on a good day
Travel writer Mike Yardley catches the ferry out to Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour, before travelling on to delightful Days Bay. Then he goes exploring along the Kapiti Coast. Wellington had dawned bright and brilliant as I made my way to...

Something for every season
Organised seasonally, and with growing guides for each ingredient, Italian-Kiwi Bri DiMattina’s cookbook Nostrana is full of simple, gorgeous and delicious recipes with fresh vegetables and fruits you can easily grow and harvest yourself...

A fuzzy fun houseplant
The foliage of this plush fern is a rich green, and it unfurls from softly hairy rhizomes that creep along the top of the compost and eventually dangle over the sides of the pot. This is one of the easiest ferns to grow. Hare’s Foot Ferns...

Thistle opt to do it tough
Gisborne Thistle embark on perhaps the toughest campaign of their 99-year history when they play Taradale in Hawke’s Bay tomorrow. It is the first of eight away games in a row — a punishing schedule devised by the Jags themselves to keep them in...

Horouta returns, Uawa join senior 1 competition
Poverty Bay Senior 1 club rugby kicks off tomorrow with two teams added to the competition. Due to restricted access to the roads north of Tolaga Bay, Ngati Porou East Coast union club Uawa will be playing in the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union...

Welcome back Waikohu: Pennants 2023 tees off at Patutahi tomorrow
The green carpet will be rolled out for Waikohu when the 2023 Oligoi Jug men’s interclub pennants tees off at the Patutahi course tomorrow. Thanks to some “outside” assistance, the men from Te Karaka are returning to Oligoi action and will...

Stunning power in store as speedway season ends
It's a finale worthy of the name. Speedway season ends with more stunning power driving in the superstocks, masses of youth ministock action, a battle for a coveted trophy, a demolition derby and fireworks. Best-pairs action tonight in the...

Peter Martin Cup on the line in OBM, HSOB clash
BATTLE OF THE OVAL. Waikohu get an early chance of a bit of redemption in Poverty Bay premier club rugby tomorrow. Week 2 of the Civil Project Solutions Poverty Bay premier rugby sees GT Shearing Waikohu up against East Coast Farm Vets YMP at Barry...

Nurses to rally nationwide in ‘time of absolute crisis’
Gisborne nurses will rally at Heipipi Endeavour Park tomorrow as part of a nationwide campaign calling on political parties to address the country’s nursing and health crisis. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) expects thousands of nurses...

Same reforms with ‘new coat of paint’: National candidate
National Party East Coast candidate Dana Kirkpatrick says the Government’s relaunched water reforms, announced yesterday, are “the same reforms, just with a new coat of paint”. The major change in the newly named Affordable Water Reforms...

Corrections workers strike after ‘insulting offer’
Gisborne Community Corrections workers walked off the job yesterday after members rejected the department’s pay offer following nine months of negotiation. Workers who are members of the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi...

Locality Plan pilot hailed as ‘unprecedented opportunity’ for region’s health needs
Te Tairāwhiti has been chosen as one of 12 regions to pilot a Localities Plan — a whānau and community-led approach to health planning and priority setting which will inform future health investment. The Localities Plan, Te Aka Whai Ora-Māori...

Jailed for assault on woman out walking her dog
A morning walk with her dog by the Wairoa River turned into an ordeal for a woman when a mentally ill man tried to kiss her and drag her off into bushes. The woman managed to overpower him, picked up her dog and ran to the nearby road where she...

Burials still on hold
Options considered as water table level remains high Burial suspension notices because of the high water table level at Taruheru Cemetery since Cyclone Gabrielle remain in place. The latest suspension notice was put in place on April 5, and while it...

Contractors in alliance to tackle recovery work
Higgins Contractors has signed an agreement to work alongside a group of experienced contract partners on a cyclone recovery plan for Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti. In signing an interim alliance agreement today, Fletcher Building Construction...

Sixth visit for container ship, service 'going well'
The coastal container ship Rangitata docked at Eastland Port yesterday, unloaded 32 empty containers, then loaded 23 full of meat and bonemeal for shipment to Napier. It was the ship’s sixth visit to the port. “The container shipping on the...

Judge heeds difficulties of prison life
Young man granted leave to reapply for home detention, but not a motel. A judge has refused to let a man serve home detention at a motel but granted him leave to apply for it again because of difficulties he is having in jail, including being forced...

Need to work together to get SH2 south improved
Your correspondent Sonia Smith is quite right to question my promoting to Gisborne District Council a Tutira to Te Pohue road connection when the route isn’t even in our district — and congratulations to her group in obtaining a feasibility...

Beach clearing again now futile
I sincerely hope the council does not waste any more ratepayer money on clearing wood debris from the town beaches. With winter and more stormy weather on the way, and the very high likelihood of more wood arriving on the beaches, this would be...

Rejigged water plan just as unacceptable
Re: More local voice in Govt’s new water services plan, April 13 editorial. Whatever way you dress it up, this so called restructuring is really nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The most contentious parts of the original plan remain...

Now to explain co-governance
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins might be about to take on the mantle of explaining what co-governance means to his Government, and the extent to which it wants to see partnership arrangements with iwi/Maori for the management of natural resources and...

Rugby World Cup free-to-air on SkyTV, Prime
Sky, the New Zealand broadcast rights holder for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, has announced free-to-air coverage of this year’s tournament will screen on Prime. As well as 48 matches broadcast live on Sky Sport, 12 matches will be broadcast on...

Poverty Bay rugby draw
Premier grade games played at 2.45pm — OBM v HSOB at Oval 2. Referee: Ben Holt. YMP v Waikohu at Barry Park. Referee: Royce Maynard. Pirates v Ngatapa at Oval 1. Referee: Damien MacPherson. Senior 1 — Uawa v YMP at Tolaga Bay at 12.45pm...

Students shine at waka ama nationals
Tairāwhiti paddlers drew on reserves built by years of training to shine at the secondary school waka ama nationals in Rotorua last month. Cyclone Gabrielle scuttled well-laid plans for final preparations, and coaches had to be inventive to keep...