Wynsley Wrigley covers local and central government policy making, and specialises in health reporting
Wynsley Wrigley lives in Gisborne and has 26 years experience reporting for the Gisborne Herald

Dame and a game: HSOB centenary reunion a weekend to remember
All Black great Sean Fitzpatrick feels 'deep connection' to Gisborne and HSOB.

‘Disappointed’: Residents warn of representation impact in electorate proposal
About 1300 voters may move to the Napier electorate for the 2026 election vote.

Going it alone: Ultramarathon runner to do entire 24 hours of Relay For Life
The $120,000 Cancer Society target is in sight, with more than $75k raised by Thursday.

End in sight for waka bridge: Council working on final touches after ‘communication breakdown’
Three-and-a-half-month delay for 'additional touches' to be made.

Gisborne mayor supports four year terms, scrapping postal voting
Electoral reform group suggests moving back to booth voting to boost voter turnout.

‘So much generosity in Gisborne’: Two women moving to support Cancer Society
Jane Wilkie lost her 31-year-old son Matt to bowel cancer in 2022.

HSOB centenary fully booked, All Blacks triallist Peter Blair to attend
Club legend Blair is the oldest person registered for HSOB's 100th.

‘Improving but significant work ahead’: Tairawhiti’s immunisation push
Tairawhiti achieved the highest ED efficiency, with 92.2% treated in six hours.

Gisborne market leads with 32% cheaper produce than supermarkets
Gisborne's Farmers' Market celebrated its 19th birthday last weekend.

The good old days: Chance for HSOG netballers to reminisce
The call is going out for netballers to be part of the club's reunion.

Gisborne’s million-dollar apartment remediation nears completion amid delays
Patrick Willock said compliance delays had been frustrating for contractors and owners.

Historic sitting: Poverty Bay to plead case for big match
Premier club competition down to six teams as Waikohu drops to Senior 1.

‘Sport in a Changing Climate’: Gisborne symposium will feature national research
Professor Holly Thorpe and her team looked at how recent flooding events impacted youth.

‘Awesome’: Tainui team’s triumph in Māori bowls
The tournament attracted 98 teams, up from 64 in 2015, across multiple regions.

Motorcyclists exploring ‘untouched landscapes of the mighty East Cape’
Participants ranged from Timaru to Auckland, with many residents involved.

Gang patch legislation means gang insignia headstone ban
Gang insignia on headstones established before the Gangs Act 2024 was passed can stay.

Gisborne plan changes propose ‘significant urban growth’
Public engagement on the Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan review is now open.

‘Absolutely absurd’: Gisborne residents react to beach snub
Gisborne beaches received zero nominations in all categories this year.

Medical lab staff to strike for pay parity, impacting services nationwide
Medical lab staff to strike for 24 hjours on Wednesday and Friday

From First XV to centennial: HSOB's rich rugby history in Gisborne
HSOB celebrates its centennial with events at Anzac St clubrooms from March 28-30, 2025.

Call to address ‘aggressive branding’
Brightly coloured liquor stores are “over the top” and such advertising needs to be brought under control. That was one of the points made in a submission from Nathan Cowie of Communities Against Alcohol Harm (CAAH) to Gisborne District...

Integrity, loyalty and courage honoured
Mayor Rehette Stoltz, speaking at yesterday’s Anzac Day dawn and civic service, said the ceremony was an opportunity for a region which has “gone through so much” over the past 14 months to “stop, reflect and encourage each other”. It was...

The unknown battle: More than 1000 Kiwi soldiers killed at La Basse-Ville
More than a thousand Kiwi soldiers killed at La Basse-Ville.

Manawanui commander the guest speaker at the Cenotaph
How many Gallipolis do we need to suffer? That is the poignant remark from Gisborne RSA president Trevor Jukes as he looks towards Anzac Day. Mr Jukes invites the public to attend the Anzac Day combined dawn and civic Service at the Cenotaph...

No 8 Squadron on patrol
As Anzac Day nears, Wynsley Wrigley looks into the story of No 8 General Reconnaissance (GR) Squadron operating at Darton Field (now Gisborne Airport) during World War 2. He also recounts the sad tale of RAF armourer Cliff (Molly) Morgan who was...

Quake work extension ‘disappointing’: Council
The Government’s decision to extend the deadline for owners of earthquake-prone buildings to carry out strengthening work has surprised Gisborne District Council, which was “on track” for all such work to be completed by 2027. Building...

Footpaths a nightmare for disability scooter riders
The challenge has been issued. Long-serving disability advocate and former deputy mayor Nona Aston has challenged Gisborne district councillors to ride her disability scooter on a city footpath. She told councillors some carriageways and footpaths...

District council systems frustrate trust as Grey Street project drags on
The Tai Uehā Grey Street project is behind schedule and Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust blames Gisborne District Council. The trust’s Amy Spence, speaking to the Gisborne Regional Transport Committee hearing on the Regional Land Transport Plan...

GP funding crisis: Three Rivers underfunded by more than 200 percent
The GP sector is in a crisis with practices such as Three Rivers, which serves a high-needs population, underfunded by more than 200 percent.

Making progress on freshwater management
Gisborne District Counci’s freshwater planning has been impacted by severe weather events and policy changes made by the new Government. A report to a full council meeting said staff working on the the Waiapu Catchment Plan were procuring...

Appreciation meal for ‘often unseen’ work of Gisborne Hospital staff
Hundreds of Gisborne Hospital staff were thanked for their care, skills and community devotion with an “appreciation meal” at lunchtime yesterday.

Tsunami of March 26, 1947 swept in after quake
Last Tuesday was the 77th anniversary of the first of two severe earthquakes that occurred off the coast of Tairāwhiti Gisborne in 1947. This earthquake generated one of the largest tsunamis in New Zealand’s historical records. It was observed...

Public input sought on Gisborne's navigation safety bylaw
A draft Navigation Safety Bylaw, approved by Gisborne district councillors for public consultation, applies to all navigable waters throughout the district. Councillor Aubrey Ria, speaking at a council extraordinary meeting, asked if the council...

East Coast MP’s staff ready to get ‘stuck in’
Newly elected MP Dana Kirkpatrick has appointed staff across her vast East Coast electorate but is still looking for an office in Gisborne. Erica McNeil, until recently the Poverty Bay A&P Association general manager, is team leader of the...

GDC adopts new policy to cover 175 homes in category to be elevated to prevent flooding
Owners of homes that require lifting after the weather events of 2023 will soon be able to access a fund of $15 million for the work. Gisborne district councillors have adopted their Elevate Tairāwhiti Policy which applies to about 175 Tairāwhiti...

Call for master plan to protect Kaiti
Deputy Mayor speaks up for a suburb he says is nervous about ‘intensification’.

Commitment questioned as absent councillor removed from committee
First-term Gisborne district councillor Nick Tupara has been lambasted for his poor attendance record at council meetings and removed from a newly formed council committee. At yesterday’s full council meeting, councillor Larry Foster said he had...

Trust ready to lead way on Taruheru river trail
Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails Trust wants to take the lead role in developing the Taruheru River Trail. Trust chair Lyall Evans has told Gisborne District Council’s operations committee that the trust would not seek council funding. The organisation...

Ahead of schedule: ‘1000-year’ pedestrian bridge to be completed by August
The long wait for Gisborne’s “1000-year” waka-shaped bridge is nearly over. The bridge, which will connect Tītīrangi/Kaiti Hill and Puhi Kai Iti/Cook Landing site, will be completed by July 29. The council/Ngāti Oneone project was part of...

Over 700 participants take part in udderly amazing Relay for Life
A jubilant Cancer Society wants to “heartfully” thank the community, volunteers, sponsors and more than 700 participants for a successful 2024 Gisborne Relay for Life. Gisborne-East Coast Cancer Society fundraising and events coordinator Shay...

Tributes flow in maiden speech
Ikaraoa Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel honoured the late Parekura Horomia in her maiden speech in Parliament last night. The former Māori affairs minister “was truly an MP of the people and became synonymous with the seat of...

What’s the rush? asks MP
Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel is yet to give her maiden speech in Parliament, but she spoke out this week against two high profile government policies. These are the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority and the repeal of the...

Hiking council debt for recovery
Gisborne District Council’s 2024-2027 Financial Strategy has been officially adopted to be included as part of the 2024-2027 Three Year Plan consultation document. Councillors, sitting as Sustainable Tairāwhiti on Wednesday, briefly debated the...

Reflecting on Williams' world record-breaking long jump 70 years ago in Gisborne
Gisborne Herald reporter Wynsley Wrigley looks back at the greatest day in Gisborne athletics history — just over 70 years ago when New Zealand ‘s Yvette Williams set a world record for the long jump. With Yvette Williams, a promise made is...

Lack of use of ‘total stem volume’ root of many forestry problems
Gisborne forestry identity Sheldon Drummond says the industry must “use the whole tree” to be profitable and sustainable. Speaking at the Tairāwhiti Tomorrow Together summit last week, the former general manager of Juken NZ”s forestry...

Smooth sailing at Kiwa Pools
Kiwa Pools, operating for the past five months, has proved popular with users and Gisborne District Council. “We’re really thrilled,” liveable communities director Michele Frey told Gisborne District Council’s operations committee on...

‘Very blunt’ reality for transport committee
Recovery work on the cyclone ravaged State Highways 2 and 35 is “ongoing”, but long-term funding has not been secured. That was the self-described “very blunt” response of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi director of regional relations...

‘Significant gains’ in 12 months for emergency management
“We only need one to slip through.” That from group manager Ben Green, speaking at this week’s Tairāwhiti Civil Defence and Emergency Management group meeting. Mr Green said the thunderstorms and other bad weather of early 2024 were...

‘Ordinary people doing extraordinary things’
Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga summed up his experience of Cyclone Gabrielle a year after it struck in one word . . . “unreal”. “Unreal is what I think about what we went through last year.” He was one of several Gisborne district councillors...

Decades of Gisborne tramper’s exploits recorded in diary
A meticulous diarised record of the 60-year tramping career of Gisborne’s Bob Creswell will fascinate fellow trampers/climbers. Long-time Gisborne conservationist and tramper Sandy Bull brought photocopied images of the late Mr Creswell’s diary...

Relay For Life 2024
A fun family day but with an important dual purpose. That is the new-look Relay For Life Gisborne, a fun and respectful way of commemorating loved ones who have been lost to cancer while financially supporting the Cancer Society. Gisborne East Coast...

Big reds: Coffee grinds key to whopper tomato crop
EIT Tairāwhiti qualifications, Google and coffee grind is the secret behind the large tomatoes being grown at a Lavenham Road home. Evie Day and daughter Kerriane Parkes are delighted to have produced tomatoes weighing up to 490 grams, or 1.08...

Kirkpatrick ‘staunchly East Coast’, proud to be part of the Government
New MP found her political voice shouting at television during Covid-19.

Rates have to rise: GDC
Ratepayers face average rate increases of 11.3 percent, 9.78 percent and 8.41 percent respectively over the next three years.

Live Day ‘a captivating journey through technological milestones’
Sunday is a day “to rev up your excitement”. East Coast Museum of Technology president Harrison Hill is looking forward to the museum’s Live Day and warmly welcomes the public to attend. “Live Day offers a unique blend of history, hands-on...

Active travel plans approved for consultation
Gisborne District Council is not trying to throw a bicycle down everybody’s throat. So says Mayor Rehette Stoltz, who along with councillors, defended their draft mode shift plan and draft active travel strategy at their first meeting of 2024...

Turning back time at EC Museum of Technology
East Coast Museum of Technology can take you back to the machinery, computers and household appliances of yesterday and long before. The many exhibits are all dated and obsolete and show how quickly time and tech moves on. Enthusiasts behind the...

Counting down to Relay for Life
There are just 51 days to go. Relay for Life is back in 2024 and coming up fast on March 9 and 10. From January 30, teams already registered (including members) will be able to select their preferred site. Gisborne-East Coast Cancer Society’s...

Vulnerable at risk in extreme heat
After the abysmal summer of 2023 in Tairāwhiti, many people are welcoming the warm dry weather. But when it’s too hot there are health risks, says Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti medical officer of health Dr Anura Jayasinghe. “It’s especially...

Te Whatu Ora numbers show Tairāwhiti doing well in ED, cancer treatment
There’s a better prognosis for Tairāwhiti cancer patients in the latest Health NZ/Te Whatu Ora report. Every eligible cancer patient received their first treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat by a health professional during the first...

Lazy, hazy, crazy days: holidaymakers enjoy typical Kiwi summer in Māhia
The sun blazed down on Māhia this week as appreciative day-trippers and holidaymakers from Hawke’s Bay, Tauranga and Auckland enjoyed the beaches, leisurely days and the sights of their children enjoying a typical Kiwi summer holiday. Havelock...

Herald marks 150 years
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...

Cancer Society hoping for third time lucky with Relay for Life
It’s time to try again. After the disruptions of Covid-19 and cyclones, Relay for Life returns next year, to the A&P Showgrounds, and over the full 24 hours. Relay For Life Te Ara Toiora will be earlier in March than in previous years, on...

ENT surgeon bowing out gracefully, with 'way too many hobbies' to keep him busy in retirement
“We were lucky to have you.” “You will be missed.” “Going the extra mile is second nature for you”. These were just some of the many accolades retiring ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon Julian Avisenis received at various farewell...

National MPs ‘knuckling down’ in lead-up to Christmas
National’s Dana Kirkpatrick, sworn in yesterday as the new MP for East Coast, is working on her maiden speech. But there is no urgency. Like her Labour colleague, the Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, Ms Kirkpatrick has asked to deliver...

New Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP brings flax roots experience to new roles in Opposition
The storm-ravaged East Coast is home for MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, so she is well suited to her new portfolios. The newly-elected MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti is Labour’s spokesperson for tourism and hospitality, forestry and cyclone recovery. Ms...

City centre stores welcome Christmas trees
Christmas has arrived in the CBD. Santa’s helper Ken Huberts, in his 10th year of working with the district’s younger students, has distributed 60 of their decorated trees to city centre businesses and some in side streets. “It’s one thing...

Girls’ High Learning Support students clock up the kilometres for Cancer Society fundraiser
Learning Support students and teacher aides are well ahead of their fundraiser target in the Cancer Society’s Marathon for a Month. The Gisborne Girls’ High School group can often be seen walking on the return trip from the Beacon car park to...

Dismay over Māori ward referendum policy
Former Gisborne district councillor Meredith Akuhata-Brown says the National-led Government’s referendum policy on Māori wards shows it “panders to the few that don’t really like Māori”. The new policy restores the right to hold referendum...

A sustainable vision for forestry in Tairāwhiti
'We are part of the problem and a massive part of the solution' — Eastland Wood Council chair.

Alder, Thompson top the official Gisborne District Council attendance figures
I’m enduring it.” That was the response from first term Gisborne district councillor Colin Alder when asked if he had enjoyed his first year on council. The Herald approached Cr Alder, who along with fellow first termer Cr Teddy Thomas, has...

Hidden camera gives real images of POWs
A collection of surreptitiously taken photographs showing life as a POW (prisoner of war), backed by diaries never discovered by German captors, will fascinate any World War 2 buff or descendant of a veteran. Prominent Gisborne farmer Nick Seymour...

Questions about kuri as taonga
Should the remains of dogs destroyed after attacking stock be given to Māori because of their status as taonga? Councillor Nick Tupara raised that possibility as councillors discussed a staff report on worrying dogs at a full meeting of the...

Pioneer Battalion's 'colours' flown proudly in public arena for the first time
Inspired by journey to WW1 battlefields, 'colours' flown proudly in public arena for the first time.

Frustration over dump station delays
Tourism in Tairāwhiti will benefit if Gisborne District Council supports funding applications for a new public pump station which has had a resource consent since 2019. That was the key point Darryl Keast made in a public submission to the...

Gisborne property values up by an average of 22 percent
Valuations will be used by Gisborne District Council for rating purposes from July 1, 2024.

Pioneers, families honoured at Combined Services Day service
It may be 105 years since the guns stopped firing, but the (Māori) Pioneer Battalion/Te Hokowhitu a Tū Battle Honours Flag, 1914-1918, made its official debut at Gisborne’s Combined Services Day service, held on Sunday. At the historic hour of...

GDC set to adopt a 'position' on woody debris
What is the “natural” state of beaches? Gisborne District Council’s operations committee faced that issue yesterday when they endorsed a proposed “position” on woody debris on beaches for later adoption by council.