Saturday, April 4, 2020
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TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 4-5, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.70 DAYLIGHT • Ringing around our elderly • HospitalsNEW ready for ‘storm’ COVID-19 • HealthPBL Minister says sorry • CountriesPAGE 3 still virus-free PAGES 3,6,8,13,14,15 • Nightmare in New York SAVING! ‘WE NEED TO STAY IN TOUCH’ That is the advice from Sam and Gemma Hain, who went into self-isolation straight after coming home from the World Hereford Conference in Queenstown — identified as a Covid-19 cluster. Communication with others helped them through and they recommend it to everyone in lockdown. Gemma is pictured with their children, Tom (7) and Lilla (10) at work in the yards. Inset: A Herald file picture of Sam and Gemma STORY ON PAGE 3 Main picture supplied. Working to secure replacement operator by Andrew Ashton As sawmills were not deemed an when a change in the Covid-19 alert “essential service” under the current level allows. TRUST DOZENS of workers at Gisborne’s Covid-19 restrictions, the sawmill Trust Tairawhiti had already Far East sawmill have been given ceased cutting logs in the week spent more than $17m on buying the a temporary lifeline, after Trust prior to the Level 4 lock down. Far sawmill site and other investments at Tairawhiti stepped in to buy back the East have been able to facilitate the the site, which is now a regional wood mill. government wage subsidy for their processing centre of excellence. The community trust took staff for a period of time. However, In September 2015, ECT approved ownership of the mill through a these staff face an uncertain future the $7.4 million purchase of the confidential commercial agreement in after this support runs out. Prime Sawmill. In February 2018 BUYS order to retain the existing workforce, “Trust Tairawhiti is working hard to it announced that the mill and its after its owner made the decision to secure a replacement operator, so this buildings, had been sold to Far East close the mill. skilled team can stay together as a Sawmills, with the trust retaining “Prime SPV, a subsidiary of Trust workforce and get back to work. ownership of the 22ha site. Tairawhiti, reacquired the sawmill “The sawmill is an important asset Far East Sawmills was a subsidiary plant and buildings at their wood for the region’s wood processing of Spectrum, a fully integrated forest cluster centre of excellence site from aspirations, that aim to diversity log products business, which owns the Far East Sawmills, to ensure the supply options and markets.• strategic The Trust Tregoweth leadership Sawmill at Te Kuiti, forests leadership strategic • BACK region remained in control of the considers that the close proximity• strategic of in Northland, leadership a forestry harvest leadership strategic • assets and to help facilitate an orderly the mill to a large supply of prune logs company and a transport fleet. transition to new operators,” Trust on the East Coast makes• it cleana viable environmentMr Murphy said the trust would environment clean • Tairawhiti chief executive Gavin business going forward.” • clean retainenvironment a 10 percent stake in Spectrum, environment clean • Murphy said. WET Gisborne Ltd, which also which was secured as part of putting “Far East had faced difficult operates at the Gisborne Wood additional funds into the sawmill last trading conditions for some time, Processing Centre of Excellence• smart site year. infrastructure infrastructure smart • as experienced by other sawmill at Matawhero is unaffected• smartby the infrastructure infrastructure smart • MILL CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 operators around the country. closure and will continue to operate 27971-01 27971-01 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ...... 10-11 Puzzles...............16 Television ....W9-11 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Farming ..............18 Sport ............ 21-24 National ............ 6-9 World...... 13-15, 17 Classifieds .........19 Weather .............23 TOMORROW 977 1175467004 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, April 4, 2020 Not too baa-d, bro. How ewes fullahs doing during lockdown? This pair were spotted chewing the cud, errr fat, at Four Square Tokomaru Bay this week. They Young Olivia Bastos wanted to get out and enjoy the rain this week, exchanged a bit of ewesless information but got a little rambunctious and were eventually and what better attire than her togs. shepherded out the door. Picture supplied Picture supplied Rocky road to Ghana for tradies by Sophie Rishworth this dream a reality and it’s nice to have such a large project to focus on. AFTER months of preparation, “It’s a good time for us to be here too. three Gisborne tradesmen have had to School is closed and that means the postpone their volunteer mission to help family don’t have any income.” build a school in Ghana. By family, Jaimee means Martin The decision was made for builders Asiedu (aka Mr Job) and wife Felicia Storme Curtis, Stan Scott and plumber (aka Maa Felicia), who have been Sean Spence when Ghana closed its running the Good Foundation school for borders on March 22. The West African almost 20 years. country went early on their “We’re helping as much as we can by Covid-19 restrictions with fewer than 10 buying extra food and paying some bills. confirmed cases in the country. It’s actually quite an honour for us to be The Gisborne men were due to leave taking care of the family that have taken Gisborne on April 13. such good care of others all of their lives.” Storme said as soon as they could Stan, a building consultant for Mitre travel, they would, but realistically it 10, said the local tradies were still super could be more than a year away. keen to help out at the school. Credits had been given to them for “No matter what stage the building their air travel but there was no way of process is at we will still go and assist in telling when they would be able to use any way we can. them. “Hopefully there will still be loads of They were off to help New Zealand carpentry work to do. Whatever the stage woman Jaimee Perrett build 12 and timing, we are still committed 100 classrooms, a library and a nursery for percent to volunteer our services, make the Good Foundation School in Tetrem, a some new friends and work alongside small village in Ghana. another culture for such a great cause. The skills from Gisborne would have Massive respect to Jaimie for making made the rebuild a reality said Jaimee, a AID MISSION POSTPONED: Stan Scott (left), Storme Curtis and plumber Sean this little dream she had slowly come to school teacher from Nelson. Spence (not in picture) have had to delay their volunteer mission to build a school in fruition. The roofing material would be ready Ghana because of the Covid-19 crisis. File picture “A lot of people in the world have ideas and waiting for them when they did on doing this or that, and she’s really eventually come, she said. the world, in April and May. school and £11,000 ($23,000) has been making it happen. Even if this massive Jaimee said she was very disappointed “But the safety and health of people raised, with communities like Gisborne handbrake has been placed on us we are the rebuild could not go ahead at this around the world is of so much more contributing. more than ever committed to getting time. importance right now,” said Jaimee. who “There are four volunteers here right amongst it. The tradesmen from Gisborne are in has now found herself happily stuck in now and we don’t know when we’ll be To keep up to date with progress a group of eight people who were due to Tetrem for the foreseeable future. going home. However, everyone is still follow @GFSTetrem on Facebook and arrive in Tetrem, from different parts of Nearly 400 students attend the motivated and working hard to make Instagram. LOOKING AHEAD Get your Clocks change tonight Gisborne Herald home-delivered WITH the autumn equinox behind us the nights are getting longer, plus Daylight Saving ends tonight. Combine shorter daylight hours with week two of Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, and mental health experts remind us to go for walks each day. Fire and Emergency New Zealand say it is more important than ever to check your home is fire safe and to be vigilant about fire safety in everything you do. Mark the end of daylight saving by checking your smoke alarms at the same time you turn your clocks back one hour. 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, April 4, 2020 NEWS 3 Self-isolation over after cluster scare FROM PAGE 1 we separated our duties on the farm, enough of in the past 12 months in however, travelling to our other ‘It is a huge ask of all our people. by Murray Robertson with Mike Croker our shepherd doing our sector. blocks. I have to carry a piece of “One thing that has been great is all the essential general work and “I am always a strong advocate of authorisation paper with me as well how often our phone has rung.