TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 PAGE 2 BAITING UP FOR FISHING FUNDRAISER PAGE 5 LICENCE TEST FAILING RURAL DRIVERS HOME SWEET HOME: This is an example of one of the homes that will be built by Iconiq Group in Tairawhiti, supported by funding from the Ministry for Social Development (MSD). This is the smallest design option, which will be easily relocatable up the East Coast for whanau. Picture supplied CAREERS, HOUSES Funding for company committed to training and warm, dry homes by Sophie Rishworth will be used to help with transitional housing in this region and some will be A $2.6 MILLION funding injection made available on the property market. announced this week will help young From their site, Iconiq will also run Tairawhiti people learn a trade and a pre-employment programme for create much-needed homes for this rangatahi (young people) who want to get region. into a trade. Iconiq Group has been awarded the A specific team from Iconiq will train funding from the Ministry for Social and educate candidates with help from Development (MSD). local sub-contractors across most trades, It is part of $5.5m funding from the including electrical, plumbing, carpentry, Maori Trades and Training Fund for four civil and roofing. organisations including Iconiq Group and It will have a big social impact here, he Gisborne-based ManaiaSAFE Forestry said. School, which is to receive $180,000. (See The construction of the first relocatable story page 2) home is scheduled to start within the The biggest portion of this funding has next four to five weeks for Iconiq client gone to Iconiq, an Auckland/Gisborne- Kainga Ora. based construction firm with a direct link Mr Te Miha says he understands the to this region. urgency around providing warm dry Iconiq construction director Nathan Te homes for whanau in Tairawhiti. Miha is from Tairawhiti. “So while our permanent facility is He is committed to increasing jobs and under construction, we will be building homes for whanau to live in within this homes out of a temporary facility to NEW HOMES: Four homes being built by Iconiq on Oxford Street are for their client region, says Iconiq general manager Todd get things under way as we are firm Kainga Ora. There are two two-storey, two-bedroom homes, and two two-storey, four Scrafton. believers in actions speaking louder than bedroom accessible units. Picture supplied Mr Scrafton told The Gisborne Herald words.” they will be building relocatable homes at Four apprentices will be hired on day a facility by Gisborne Airport. one and that number will grow as the homes within inner Gisborne, with a need for homes in harder-to-reach areas. The homes can be easily picked up operation ramps up with Iconiq’s build standard-sized home averaging between These will be slightly bigger than a from this site and moved to sections partners and clients. 80-to-90 square metres. “tiny house” and compact enough to be around Gisborne and the East Coast. Iconiq is in the design phase for six The other three design options will be moved up the Coast. Mr Scrafton says some of the homes standardised options, three of these for for coastal areas to help with the growing CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............10 Classifieds .. 18-19 Farming..............17 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............11 Television ...........15 Sport ............ 20-24 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National ............ 6-9 World............ 12-13 Racing ................16 Weather .............23 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Wednesday, March 17, 2021 Lines in the water for Planet Sunshine by Sophie Rishworth The number of event volunteers had increased to THE Nick’s Head Charity “more people than we have ever Fishing Competition being had”. held this weekend will raise “We’re really lucky in more money to help Tairawhiti Gisborne,” said Mrs McKay. children who have cancer or “There’s huge community spirit diabetes. here.” Organiser Andrea Gregory Barry Walsh has offered spoke to Planet Sunshine clinical children who have finished nurse manager Deb McKay to their cancer treatment the ask her what the children’s ward chance to hop on his boat for the at Gisborne Hospital needed this competition. year. Four of them have taken up As a result, money raised from the offer. the competition will go towards The competition has been SWEET DREAMS: Planet Sunshine children’s ward chairs bought with money raised by last year’s a quiet garden space off the going for 16 years. Nick’s Head Charity Fishing Competition are tried out for size by Planet Sunshine clinical nurse oncology ward, and a portable It starts tomorrow night with manager Deb McKay and competition organiser Andrea Gregory. The chairs, which cost $2500 each, Hba1C machine for young a briefing at Gisborne Tatapouri fold out to a single bed with a foam mattress so whanau can get a proper sleep next to their child diabetic patients in this region. Sports Fishing Club, followed by at the hospital. The chairs have only just arrived because of shipping hold-ups due to the Covid- Mrs McKay said young cancer fishing on Friday and Saturday. 19 pandemic. This year’s fundraising competition starts tomorrow night with a briefing at Gisborne patients could not mix with An auction of donated prizes Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club. Picture by Paul Rickard other children in the ward so the will be held Saturday night. garden would be for them only. From 2pm on Sunday, there She described it as a restful will be a live fish auction where member had slept on one of specifically asked for by Planet than the laboratory blood test space and importantly a place the fish caught during the these, they would never go back Sunshine. It costs $1725 but done now. where parents could go as well. competition is sold to the highest to a La-Z-Boy chair again. Mrs McKay said the difference The machine will be used to Having these extras because bidder. Other money raised last year it would make to the 18 diabetic check the diabetes patients once of the fishing competition The fish are sold whole but was used to buy $2500 worth of children in Tairawhiti would be every three months. “is amazing for us”, said Mrs for a gold coin donation can be Pak’nSave vouchers presented to priceless. “This portable machine gives McKay. filleted on site. the nursing team to distribute to The portable machine checks us flexibility to do more outreach Mrs Gregory said they had Proceeds from last year’s families on a need-by need basis. blood sugar levels with a quick appointments to meet the no overhead expenses, so every competition went towards Another $10,000 was donated to finger prick. It means the children and families at home, dollar raised directly helped buying two new chairs ($2500 the Child Cancer Foundation. paediatric team can go to the at school or wherever they feel a Tairawhiti child diagnosed each) for Planet Sunshine. All funds raised this year patient’s home for the test. comfortable so their diabetes with cancer, or other long-term The chairs fold out to will go directly to the Planet Hauora Tairawhiti consultant care can be less onerous, and condition, and their families. comfortable single beds for Sunshine ward to make sure paediatrician Stanley Ng said gives us an opportunity to help Organisers were blown away whanau who sleep over with every cent benefits Tairawhiti the quick finger prick test was a manage their diabetes in the by the support from businesses, their children in hospital. children. more “palatable option” for some environments where they feel with new ones coming on board. Mrs McKay said once a family The diabetic machine was of their younger patients, rather most comfortable.” ‘Giving hope and a job for our young people’ MANAIASAFE Forestry School was hit of the Government’s Covid-19 response cover full costs of the training delivery, support through its Maori Trades and hard by the economic impact of the and recovery package in Budget 2020. Mr Koia said. Training Fund will help us get back on Covid-19 pandemic as it had just scaled ManaiaSAFE Forestry School is “The shortfall is usually covered by our feet so we can keep giving hope and a up from one training crew to three. the strategic business unit of Train the school’s logging crew that services job to our young people.” Managing director Henry Koia said Me Quality Services, which has been a harvesting contract with Ernslaw Mr Koia says the funding will be used when lockdown hit, the company was contracted by EIT for the past two years One to help pay for the training while to provide intensive pastoral care to forced to shut down two of its forestry to deliver their programme of study for providing a real-world hands-on training six rangatahi (young people) to support crews, and this came at a significant the New Zealand Certificate in Forest environment. their success in achieving a NZQA financial cost. Harvesting Operations with Strands “At the time we scaled up our qualification, job placement, and then six The school has been awarded $180,000 qualification. operations, we had no idea that Covid months of continued intensive pastoral through the Government’s $50m Maori The school received a contract fee for would come along and pull the rug out care to support the graduates and their Trades and Training Fund which was part delivering the training but this did not from under our feet.