TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI SATURDAY-SUNDAY, MARCH 7-8, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.70 Living every DROUGHT RELIEF FOR THOSE IN NEED CORONAVIRUS moment • STAY AWAY ADVICE FROM SLSNZ • PHARMAC LIMITS PARACETAMOL • FOURTH CASE IN NZ • $8.3B AID BILL TO FIGHT VIRUS IN US INSIDE TODAY PAGE 4 PAGES 3, 7, 9, 13 JUST DO IT: That’s the advice to young women thinking about becoming firefighters from Gisborne station officers Trudi Hicklin and Mags Middleton- Echave. Between them they have notched up 30 years in the fire service. Female force STORY PAGE 3 Picture by Rebecca Grunwell PUTTING CASE TO GOVT Sports bodies preparing pitch for top-up funding by Grant Miller and sporting facilities and real gaps in our just one public indoor court, and that’s councillors until late May. community wellbeing as a result.” provided by the YMCA, not the council. The pool project has $5.65 million CENTRAL government will almost Mr Pishief said the need for better The district has the lowest rate for of council money committed to it but certainly be asked to chip in to get facilities in Tairawhiti was urgent and providing public indoor courts in New there have been few indications that the Tairawhiti sporting facilities up to scratch. the project partners were developing Zealand. council is keen to spend much money on Sports codes in the region have been a proposal, “with the expectation that The surface for outdoor netball courts improving other sporting facilities. told Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti, Trust development will occur progressively over at Victoria Domain is past its use-by date, Community facilities partnerships Tairawhiti and Gisborne District Council the next 10 to 15 years, shared between waka ama boats have no shelter, Gisborne adviser Abbe Banks, whose position is are developing a pitch to get “top-up our community and the Crown”. athletes still run on a grass track and the funded by the council, Sport Gisborne funding”. The poor state of sports facilities in grandstand at Rugby Park is off-limits Tairawhiti and Trust Tairawhiti, told “We are doing this as rapidly as Tairawhiti has been lamented in various because it is considered an earthquake a sports collective last week that the possible,” Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti chief reports for Gisborne District Council risk. project partners intended to be a “first executive Stefan Pishief said. but little has been done to remedy the The Olympic Pool — for which a mover” to pitch for a share of $300m “We think we have a very strong case situation. significant upgrade is planned — the Government has tagged for regional for some government assistance, because Netball and basketball are popular continues to deteriorate and a full concept investment opportunities. there are real gaps in our recreational sports in the region but Gisborne has plan and options won’t be presented to TURN TO PAGE 4 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ...... 10-11 Farming.........15-16 Television ....W9-11 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Racing .......... 17-18 Sport ............ 24-28 TOMORROW National ............ 6-9 World............ 13-14 Classifieds ... 19-23 Weather .............27 977 1175467004 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, March 7, 2020 ENGINEERS OF THE FUTURE by Sophie Rishworth WHEN the big red button is pushed at each work station, music plays loudly and dancing is encouraged. This was just part of the fun atmosphere at the EPro8 Challenge at the Ilminster School hall this week. The two-day engineering competition for primary and intermediate students finished yesterday. On Thursday “secret” challenges were revealed to Gisborne students. One of these was to build a roller coaster — which looked a lot like a giant marble run. A total of 112 students took part, made up of 28 teams of four from nine schools around Gisborne. EPro8 Challenge event manager Steve Aiken said the students were not told what to do. They had to explore and discover how to achieve their end goal, use maths in context, and communicate with each other to build their projects. It was the “sweet spot” of learning, he said. EPro8 Challenge organiser Kelvin Thiele said this was the second year the engineering competition had been able to come to Gisborne, thanks to Eastland Group. “We wouldn’t be able to come to Gisborne if it wasn’t for the sponsorship of Eastland Group, and they are encouraging us to get more events and expand it in Gisborne. Which is great news as the more schools, and the more kids, the merrier.” After the secret challenges were revealed, the teams went into a two-and-a-half hour build phase. Other challenges included having to build a motorised supermarket trolley, inflating a giant balloon to represent the sun and Maui having to catch the sun. Plus a crazy birthday party contraption, which starts with pin the tail on the donkey, that turns a light on, which is a candle, which inflates a balloon, which drags a parcel along the ground, which then hits a piñata off the shelf that triggers a party popper. “The idea is to have a lot of fun,” said Mr Thiele. “Each stage of the challenge you have to build different parts that get progressively harder as the challenge goes through. There is learning behind each stage. “Visually, it also looks quite cool.” Parents are allowed to watch but not speak to the teams. The teams who won will go through to the finals next week. Students giving their brains a workout at the EPro8 Challenge at Ilminster Intermediate this week Mr Thiele said next year’s competition was already being included (top) Israel Black and Yannick Coombe, above left, Cass Ryan and Uzabella Rose, and planned, and he expected more students would take part in the above right, Lucas Thompson (left) Leo Stark and Elias Burgess. fun challenges that help students “think, learn and create”. Pictures by Rebecca Grunwell LOOKING AHEAD Get your ALL THE LATEST NEWS, INCLUDING: Gisborne Herald • Recruiting and retaining staff remains a challenge for home-delivered Hauora Tairawhiti • Mountains on the seafl oor could hold key to quake research • Mystery photograph pair identifi ed • Sidecar action at Eastland Group Raceway • Full coverage of local, national and international sport MONDAY The Gisborne Herald, 64 Gladstone Road, P.O. Box 1143, Gisborne • Phone (06) 869 0600 • Fax (Editorial) (06) 869 0643 (Advertising) (06) 869 0644 Editor: Jeremy Muir • Chief Reporter: Andrew Ashton • Circulation: Cara Haines • Sports: Grant Miller/John Gillies To nd out more call 869 0620 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.nz The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, March 7, 2020 NEWS 3 Climate campaigners appointed to youth council by Aaron van Delden results had been received before interviewing candidates. It received CLIMATE change will undoubtedly 16 applications. be on Tairawhiti Youth Council’s Miss Kibble also raised concerns agenda, with two of its members part over the youth council’s lack of input of a team of young people who last on district council decisions in the year called on the district council to past. declare a climate emergency. The council’s customer Gisborne Girls’ High School 2020 have an induction next Friday engagement manager, Anita Reedy- students Haylee Law and Sumita (March 13), followed by their first Holthausen, said youth councillors Singh presented Tairawhiti Youth of four planned meetings on would be able to contribute to Environment’s petition to district March 17. district council decision-making. councillors in December, calling for As well as Haylee and Sumita, Spots for youth councillors on them to declare a climate emergency. both 16, the youth council includes some district council committees Although she “really” wanted to Gisborne high school students may be considered, although they be on the youth council, Haylee said Madelaine Ashworth, 17, Nellie would not have voting powers, Ms it could not come at the cost of her Brown, 17, Jay Matete, 17, and Ella Reedy-Holthausen said. fight for recognition of the climate Parkin, 15; Tolaga Bay Area School Youth councillors would be able crisis. students Mawhai Chaffey, 17, and to present information to district “It’s really important to not be Uenuku Kohatu, 16; and 19-year-old councillors during meetings with silenced by (being on the youth Alice Kibble. public input, their work would feature council),” she said. “We have to keep They found out they made it on in the chief executive’s reports on pushing.” to the youth council last month council activities, and they would be The group was planning its next following a recruitment process able to contribute to staff reports on school strike and petition. which began on October 14 last topics of interest. Haylee believed her interactions year, when the application form was Haylee thought district councillors with district councillors had the posted on Facebook. should make the most of the potential to be awkward, in light of In January, Miss Kibble said she youth council “right there at their her stance on the climate emergency had not heard what was happening disposal”. declaration they did not adopt. with her application despite making She saw herself as a conduit for AT THE TABLE: Haylee Law and Sumita Singh presented Pushing the climate issue from inquiries. young people’s concerns, as the Tairawhiti Youth Environment’s petition to district councillors both inside and outside the council The council said it was waiting council could be “quite scary” to in December, calling for them to declare a climate would be interesting, she said. until after the summer school approach but she would be able to emergency.