A 15-year-old reportedly wearing Mongrel Mob attire was the first person arrested in Gisborne under new gang patch legislation.
A 15-year-old reportedly wearing Mongrel Mob attire was the first person arrested in Gisborne under new gang patch legislation.
A 15-year-old was the first person arrested in Gisborne under new gang patch legislation.
The Gangs Act 2024 bans the display of gang patches in public places and provides extra tools to target gang-related crime and intimidation.
There were three arrests at the weekend in the Eastern District as police continue to respond to reported breaches of the Gangs Act.
One was in Napier and the other two in Gisborne.
Gisborne police responding to reports of a disorder on Gladstone Rd around 2.30am on Sunday, saw a youth wearing Mongrel Mob attire who was reportedly yelling gang slogans.
The 15-year-old was arrested and he will be referred to Youth Aid.
At 6.35pm on Sunday, Gisborne police responded to reports of a car being driven erratically on Lytton Rd in Elgin.
The car was found in a nearby car park and the driver was identified as a patched Mangu Kaha member, who was earlier seen wearing Mangu Kaha trousers in Whakatāne.
The 27-year-old man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, possession of an offensive weapon, and displaying gang insignia in public.
A 20-year-old man was arrested in Napier for two bail breaches and for displaying gang insignia − a Mongrel Mob bandana tied to his steering wheel.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Basham said overall there remains good levels of compliance with the new laws, and actions taken in the past few days show police will not hesitate to take enforcement action when there are clear breaches.
The Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter on scene just south of Ōpōtiki after Saturday’s two-vehicle crash, in which one person died and four were injured.
Gisborne rescue chopper responds to Bay of Plenty vehicle crash
The team left the Gisborne hangar just after 2pm in response to Saturday’s two-vehicle crash on State Highway 2, near Dunlop Rd at Waiotahe.
One person died at the scene.
With reports of multiple injuries suffered by five patients, rescue helicopters from Taupō and Hamilton were also dispatched, as were teams from NZ Police, Hato Hone St John and Fire and Emergency NZ.
While the Hamilton helicopter was stood down before reaching the scene, the Gisborne and Taupō teams treated their patients before transferring them in serious condition to Waikato and Tauranga hospitals respectively.
Hato Hone St John transported a further two people with moderate injuries to Whakatāne Hospital.
The police Serious Crash Unit has carried out a scene examination. Police said inquiries into the crash were ongoing.
On Monday, the council’s rain gauge indicated that the heaviest falls were in the Wharerātās at around 55 millimetres across the previous seven days.
Other areas to receive decent falls included urban Gisborne with 27mm at the airport and similar figures at other city rain gauge sites.
The Poverty Bay Flats got good falls too, with about 26mm recorded at the Cameron Rd site and 37mm at Waimata.
Decent amounts fell further up the East Coast too with 25mm at Poroporo, 27mm at Hikuwai, 30mm at Ūawa, 33mm at Mangaheia, 39mm at Panikau, 27mm Te Puia, 30mm at Ruatōria and 26mm at Tokomaru Bay.
The city water catchment area at Mangapoike received 37mm in the seven days to Monday morning.
Council director of community lifelines Tim Barry said he wants to reassure pedestrians, commuters and businesses that we are treating this issue as a priority and taking steps to return the network to its normal functionality.
The outages stem from faulty LED streetlights that were installed during the 2016 LED rollout programme with other councils from around the country facing similar issues.
“We’re currently investigating the cause of these faults and aim to resolve the issue under warranty, council is also taking legal advice on this matter,” Barry said.
“Care has been taken when choosing a new supplier.
“We had to make sure that the new LEDs were cost-effective, long-lasting and able to be delivered as soon as possible.”
The council’s maintenance contractor Electrinet was ready to begin installations as soon as the new LEDs arrived, with some expected by December.
The first phase of replacements would focus on critical areas, including Gladstone Rd, Ormond Rd, Childers Rd and Main Rd Makaraka.
Barry said the lights from these locations that still work would be used to repair outages in other parts of the city.
“We’re committed to keeping the public informed about the progress of this essential project and aim to share regular updates through media, social media, and our website.”
Helicopter to assist in flood resilience investigations
Residents in parts of Tairāwhiti may see a low-flying helicopter over rivers in the coming weeks as part of flood resilience investigations.
Starting later this week, a helicopter will be used to conduct riverbed mapping of the following rivers: Te Arai, Waipaoa, Taruheru, Waimata, Ūawa, Hikuwai, Mangaheia, Mangahauini, Waiotu, Makarika, Waiapu, and Poroporo.
Gisborne District Council’s director of community lifelines, Tim Barry, said residents in these areas may notice a helicopter flying at a low level over these rivers in the coming weeks as part of the data collection process.
“The helicopter will be flying at what looks like a very low level, but residents do not need to be concerned,” Barry said.
“This survey data will help our flood modelling and river experts understand risks related to flood and river erosion and investigate ways to reduce these risks.
Barry said the work forms part of the first stage of flood resilience investigations in those areas, which focuses on identifying solutions to reduce flood risk to our communities.
GDC said in a statement engagement with mana whenua, local communities, and key stakeholders will be a crucial part of the investigation stage, ensuring that their perspectives and values are incorporated into the decision-making process.
Engagement is likely to commence from February 2025.
The flood resilience investigations will be completed in three stages. The preferred options identified in Stage 1 will inform Stage 2, which involves resource consent and concept design, followed by Stage 3 which is final design and implementation.
