The Hawke's Bay marathon returns to the region next month. Photo / Kirsten Simcox
The Hawke's Bay marathon returns to the region next month. Photo / Kirsten Simcox
The ASICS Runaway Hawke’s Bay Marathon is one month away and is set to take place on May 18.
The event caters to participants of all abilities and offers four distances: the ASICS Marathon, La Roche Posay Half Marathon, 10km, and the Kennedy Park Resort Kids Run.
The courses take runners and walkers along Napier’s waterfront, winding through Hawke’s Bay Cycle Trails and country roads and finishing at Elephant Hill Winery and Estate for a food and wine festival.
Now in its eighth year, the Runaway Hawke’s Bay Marathon has become an important event for the region. It brings in around $7 million in economic benefit each year, and more than three-quarters of registered athletes travel to the event from outside the region.
Police responded to reports of an altercation between a man and a group of youths in the middle of the intersection of Russell St and Herbert St about 11.35pm Wednesday night.
The man was “possibly hit with a scooter” and transported to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in a critical condition with head injuries.
A Te Whatu Ora Hawke’s Bay spokeswoman said a man in his 20s was in a serious condition at Hawke’s Bay Hospital as of Friday morning.
Police had located two youths nearby and were speaking to them as of Thursday.
A police spokeswoman said on Friday morning that police continue to work with Youth Aid, and are still working to identify some of the young people involved.
Iona College appoints new principal
Nicole Billante will take up the position at Iona College in late July.
A deputy principal of Christ’s College in Christchurch has been appointed the new principal of Iona College, Havelock North.
Nicole Billante will take up the position from the beginning of the third term in late July.
With almost 20 years experience in New Zealand education, she has held leadership roles at Christ’s College since 2017, having spent four years previously in operations and curriculum positions at the Taipei European School in Taiwan.
She began her teaching career at Cashmere and Mairehau High Schools in Christchurch.
At Iona College she succeeds William Kersten who has been acting principal since the departure of principal Helen Armstrong late last year.
Sikh community celebrates
Thousands of members and supporters of Hawke’s Bay’s Sikh community will come together in Hastings for three days of celebrations and parades starting on Friday, April 19, as part of the popular Vaisakhi harvest festival.
The festival marks the beginning of the new solar year and the harvest season and has both religious and cultural significance. A parade celebrating the founding of the Khalsa Panth will also take place in the Hastings CBD on Saturday from 10.30am-12.00pm, featuring plenty of colour and martial arts performances.
Vice-president of the New Zealand Sikh Society Hastings Jarnail Singh said besides the celebration, the events also aim to bring people together in unity and inform the general public about what Sikhism is.
“The festival has both religious and cultural significance. It is an important day for the Sikh community as it marks the founding of the Khalsa Panth, which means the pure one by the tenth Sikh guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh, in March 1699,” he said.
“The day is celebrated with great enthusiasm by Sikhs, who visit gurudwaras (Sikh temples), take part in processions, and offer prayers and partake in events like Nagar Kirtans.”
Container scam
Eastern District Police are warning people to be aware of scammers offering shipping containers for sale on Facebook Marketplace and some local community pages on social media.
Scammers are said to be offering delivery at an additional cost and will even offer cheaper delivery if people “buy now,” but in the end, they will not provide the service and will likely block the victim or deactivate their Facebook account.
Police recommend a number of steps people can take when buying items on social media. They include insisting on meeting a seller in person to inspect the goods, not depositing money into another person’s account before an item has been received, and checking to see if the seller’s profile is legitimate.
People who fall victim to this scam are advised to report it to the police so offenders are held to account for their actions.
Reports can be made via 105 – either by phone or online at 105.police.govt.nz. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Te Mata Park tree work complete
The tree work that closed parts of Te Mata Park from April 8 is now complete and access to the park from Tauroa Rd car park has been reopened.
This means that the Chambers Walk and Tipuna Footstep are also now open.
The Te Mata Park team thanked ProArbore for their work, and for taking extra care of the tracks.
They also extended thanks to Baywide Dingos for their flexibility and fitting in the track tidy-up, as well as staff from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, who erected and dismantled all the signage and safety mesh to keep Park users safe.
“We plan to plant large grade natives along Chambers Walk this planting season to bring shade and character back to this important park route.
“Thank you to all Park users for your patience over this closure period.”
Returning as Hastings Boys’ headmaster
A career educationalist with more than 30 years in teaching, and about half of it in Hawke’s Bay, is returning to the region as the new headmaster at Hastings Boys’ High School.
Originally from Christchurch, Mason Summerfield, takes up the position at the start of Term 3 in July, succeeding the late Rob Sturch.
He is a former Head of Science at Central Hawke’s Bay College in Waipukurau, which he followed with 10 years at Lindisfarne College, Hastings, where he was at times acting assistant principal.
Since 2016 he has been at Rathkeale College, north of Masterton and where he has been deputy principal.
Detour needed for Redclyffe Bridge strengthening next month
New Motorists can expect diversions at the temporary Redclyffe Bridge at Waiohiki in the first half of May as strengthening works take place.
A Hastings District Council spokeswoman confirmed planning was under way for strengthening work but could not confirm the dates.
“This work will likely require a short temporary diversion in the first half of May. When dates and times are confirmed, they will be communicated via advanced warning signage on-site and through council channels.”
However, it was not long before new work on the bridge was carried out by Hastings District Council last year after cracks began to appear on the northern end of the old structure.
Fire at Central Hawke’s Bay fertiliser works accidental
Firefighters were called out to battle a blaze at a building on the premises of Hatuma Lime Co at Maharakeke Rd on Friday. Photo / Warren Buckland
A fire at an industrial premises near Waipukurau has been deemed accidental.
Firefighters were called out to battle a blaze in a building at Hatuma Lime Co at Maharakeke Rd about 6.10pm on Friday.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said two crews of firefighters and one tanker brought the fire under control in about 25 minutes but remained on the scene to dampen hot spots.
Fenz confirmed it did not investigate the incident and the cause of the fire had been deemed accidental.
A St John spokeswoman said it was notified of the fire but not required to attend.
Crash outside the fire station
Rescue was right at hand when two vehicles collided in Napier late on Wednesday morning. The crash happened a short distance from the Napier Fire Station in Taradale Rd, about 11.50am.
Part of the westbound lane was closed for a short time, by the vehicles, a fire truck, and eventually two salvage vehicles.
Police said one driver received first aid treatment at the fire station but the other was uninjured.
Dinner initiative wraps up in Wairoa
An initiative to get food on tables in the East Coast wrapped up this week after more than 450 freezer meals made their way around areas in Gisborne and Wairoa.
FMG partnered with local community groups to deliver locally made, good-quality meals on to the tables of people affected by weather events in 2023.
Rural propositions manager for FMG Karen Williams said the idea was born out of a conversation asking what else the rural insurer could be doing for the East Coast.
“We were coming out of the dark winter months last year and we knew things would be getting busy on the farm. Food was one thing we could all agree on that was a great pick me up when the chips are down.”
She said the team on the ground took meals out on client visits around the region.
Wairoa facilitator for Rural Support Trust Kylie Brown said the meals were appreciated by people in the area.
“Being able to rock up to someone’s home and deliver a few delicious wholesome meals that they didn’t need to think about when times were tough, took a huge weight off their shoulders.”
Regular water sampling is still being carried out twice a week in accordance with Taumata Arowai Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules and results continue to confirm its safety.
TDC is implementing other solutions aimed at reducing discolouration and improving water treatment.
This included the installation of a specialised iron and manganese filter and the addition of a 30,000-litre tank to supplement the existing 90,000-litre water storage capacity.
Upon completion of the water treatment plant upgrade, a flushing programme is scheduled for July 2024, a TDC spokesperson said.
Napier and Hastings Civic Award nominations open
Nominations have opened for both Hastings District Council and Napier City Council’s 2024 Civic Honours Awards.
Hastings’ annual awards recognise individuals, groups or organisations that have contributed significantly to Hastings district, including people who showed exemplary leadership during and after Cyclone Gabrielle, with categories including arts and culture, health and welfare, sport and recreation, and education and youth.
The three categories for Napier include the Civic Award, the Civic Award for Meritorious Contribution to the Community, and Freedom of the City.
The awards return after a year’s absence as in 2023 they were paused to allow recognition of individuals and organisations who helped others during and after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Nominations for Napier close on May 3, while nominations for Hastings close at 5pm on May 10.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the Hastings Civic Honours Awards, which have been running for more than 30 years, were a wonderful way for people to acknowledge and celebrate others who had made a difference in their community.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the Napier Civic Honours Awards were a way to recognise “humble heroes and their service to this city.”
“They could be the people you know who cook for others, who are out coaching on a frosty winter’s night, or driving around Napier to deliver hot meals to older people.”
