TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI SATURDAY-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10-11, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.70 GOLD-WINNING GRAPES HUNGER PAGE 15 INSIDE TODAY PROGRAMME WINS NOBEL PAGE 3 PEACE PRIZE PAGE 2 DRAGONS DIVA DEN Priscilla Queen of the Desert came to the Tairawhiti Arts Festival in the form of the Dragons Diva Den at the Festival Club at the Marina Restaurant last night. Two Gisborne celebrities — Walter “the Wiz” Walsh (back right) and Rutene Spooner (back left) — joined the line-up as Miss De Boat (Walsh) and Haka Kahn in front of a full house. The other stars of the show were Elektra Shock (front left), Miss Lady B (middle) and Diamond Belle (front right). The Divas are back in action for a second show tonight. The festival ends tomorrow. Picture by Matai Collins MARAE across Tairawhiti have been Pasifika churches. given “a once in a lifetime” Provincial “This latest government investment Growth Fund $14.26 million investment in our economic recovery recognises the to create jobs, ministers Shane Jones and role of marae which, are often the heart Nanaia Mahuta announced yesterday. of their communities and what they “A total of 351 marae all over the provide,” said Mr Jones. $14.26m country will receive much-needed “Marae are the centre of faith, sport upgrades while more than 3100 local jobs and family and community gatherings. will be created through this investment, They often do double service as which totals $96.5 million,” Regional accommodation, conference centres, Economic Development Minister Mr health and welfare hubs, and host some Jones said. of our country’s most important events. Among those are 59 marae in “This once-in-a-lifetime investment marae Tairawhiti and Saint Mary’s Church will help bring people back into in Tikitiki, which will receive a total of work in the regions and at the same $14.26m, with the investment expected time upgrade this critical wellbeing to create nearly 400 new jobs. infrastructure. “It is not only the marae that will “I would also add that the benefit. It also means close to $100 overwhelmingly positive response from makeover million will filter into communities marae to our call for applications has through wages and into local businesses been humbling,” Mr Jones said. supplying building materials and Maori Development Minister Ms fittings,” Mr Jones said. Mahuta said marae were the focal point “It also means close to $100 million will filter The marae improvement funding for Maori — for whanau, hapu and iwi. is in addition to $12.4m announced “Marae reflect and represent Maori into communities through wages and into last month for upgrades of town halls, identity, language, matauranga local businesses supplying building materials war memorials and other community (knowledge) and whanau wellbeing. facilities around the country, and close to and fittings.” — Shane Jones $10m for upgrades and renovations on CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 31200-01 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ...... 11-12 Racing ................21 Television ...W9-11 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............13 Classifieds ..22, 25-28 Sport ............ 29-32 TOMORROW National .... 6-10, 19 World...... 14-15, 18 Farming ..............24 Weather .............31 977 1175467004 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, October 10, 2020 Wairoa to Gisborne CHAMPION BUBBLES rail link evaluation called for by NZ First KIWIRAIL will be asked to make a comprehensive investigation of the Wairoa to Gisborne rail link, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters confirmed yesterday. Following on from the 2019 BERL report, the work would ensure full costs of the proposal were understood, said Mr Peters. This would provide a definitive view of the infrastructure investment required. “Because connectivity is a key enabler of regional economic growth, consideration also needs to be given to the entire Gisborne to Napier corridor as it would be short-term thinking to ignore the economic, social and tourism benefits that this would deliver for the East Coast region.” The rail link would be future-proofed to reopen at an 18-tonne axle weight and would be hi-cube capable, so it could carry extra-large containers and heavy freight. Should KiwiRail agree to make the investigation, the state-owned, rail operation’s engineers and geotechnical experts would evaluate slip sites and major THE START AND THE FINISH: Lindauer head winemaker Jane De Witt holds a bottle of the Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvée washouts, bridges and viaducts. 2017 named Champion Bubbles in the sparkling wine section of the New World Wine Awards. She is standing in the Indevin This evaluation would particularly vineyard at Ormond which produced the grapes. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell include the 15 kilometre-section between 345km and 360km, which has 12 tunnels, seven bridges and various slopes. The future location of a Gisborne- Trio of Gisborne wines awarded gold based container terminal was yet to be determined and would form part of the study, together with consideration of the by Andrew Ashton acid balance, which is important for to a temperature-controlled (10 to 12 railway heritage enthusiasts, New Zealand sparkling wine. It also ensures I get degrees) warehouse, where it undergoes First said in a media release. GISBORNE’S reputation as a wine the grapes into the winery in pristine secondary fermentation and spends its The assessment would cost region went up a notch this week, with condition before any rain. life — upwards of two years. $3.68 million and would be based on full local grapes producing the Champion “Generally sites with strong silt and “With Verde being non-vintage, I am Bubbles winner at the New World Wine clay soils are preferred as they provide emulating a house style — as they do in upgrade of the Wairoa to Gisborne section Awards. natural vigour and water-holding Champagne — so the bottled Verde is a prior to reopening, a progressive upgrade Three out of the five gold medal- capacity necessary when vineyards are combination of different vintage years of the Wairoa to Napier section over a five- winning sparkling wines are from dry-farmed. Not using irrigation is a and a blend of 80 percent Chardonnay year period and progressive replacement Gisborne — the Champion Bubbles- sustainable aspect that I like. and 20 percent pinot noir. of all bridges winning Lindauer Vintage Series Brut “Once harvested, the grapes go into the “The time spent on yeast lees after The road transport sector would also Cuvée 2017, Verde Brut and Lindauer Indevin winery where they get crushed secondary fermentation is really be consulted for road to rail conversion, Vintage Series Rosé 2017. and fermented, and then undergo malo- important as the yeast breaks down, together with the ports and shipping lines. Lindauer head winemaker Jane De lactic fermentation. imparting different flavours and “A recent Herald web poll found 86 Witt was in Gisborne this week and “At this point I taste and grade all the characteristics to the wine. percent of the responders supported explained why the region’s grapes and parcels of wine. “For Lindauer Vintage Series Brut reinstatement of the Wairoa to Gisborne vineyards were so successful. “As with Champagne, for our non- and the Rosé, I was looking for the best rail link,” said Mr Peters. “It’s a combination of soils, climate, vintage sparkling wines we are sparkling cuvée I had out of the 2017 The web poll included comments that grape clones and great grape growing,” emulating a style that needs to be vintage – so these wines are 94 percent reinstatement of the rail link would mean she said. consistent year after year. That starts at Chardonnay. more employment; trucks would be kept The grapes are sourced from around the base wine — staying consistent with “I love blending. It is an exciting off roads, which would make them safer; the region — namely Ormond, Whitmore the vineyards the grapes have come and rewarding process, with a tweak here and it would be a big morale-booster; and and Patutahi. the percentage of Chardonnay and Pinot there making all the difference. “reinstatement of the rail is vital to build a “Chardonnay, which predominates Noir being used in the blend, and, of “Vintaged sparkling wines tend to be diverse and sustainable economy for our in these award-winning wines, thrives course, the sensory profile. wines from the best vintages — 2017 in Gisborne’s long, cool, maritime- “Once the blends are sorted the wine mightn’t be remembered as a great region, we need to move goods cheaply, in influenced growing season, whether this goes to Lion’s wine-bottling facility in vintage in Gisborne. bulk and with low carbon emissions”. be Chardonnay for sparkling wine or still Auckland, where sugar and yeast gets “However, for sparkling grapes, which The investigation would be scheduled wine. added. get picked early, it was fantastic, with the to begin in early 2021, with the report due “The early season harvest of sparkling “The wine gets bottled under crown harvest being completed before a major later in the year. grapes ensures surety of ripeness and seal and gets placed in a bin and taken storm for which I am very thankful.” LOOKING AHEAD Get your ALL THE LATEST NEWS, INCLUDING: Gisborne Herald • Meth use in Gisborne “skyrocketed” in Gisborne during home-delivered the lockdown. • Fed Farmers not surprised at a report that shows farmers are close to being carbon neutral. • Drug traffi cker who lived in Gisborne facing forfeiture of 15 buildings and bank accounts containing $10m. • Local man on a mission to boost