TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 M2M ADVENTURE PAGE 4 AWAITS SELL-OUT FIELD COAST PLAYER PAGE 2 STARRING IN RUGBY REALITY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 23-26 SHOW INSIDE TODAY ‘I’VE LOST MY MUM’: Those were the first words Axle Hamblyn said to Peter Hughes (pictured), whose sharp eyes and ears led to a happy ending in the search for the missing Mangatuna toddler. Picture from TVNZ footage by Murray Robertson 57-year-old said. “I turned my vehicle off and A FLASH of blond hair in could hear a child yelling out trees near a road led a lone from a bush area about 15 searcher to missing Tolaga metres from the track.” Bay toddler Axle Hamblyn Mr Hughes went to yesterday morning. investigate. Solo dad Peter Hughes “When I saw Axle’s blue ended an intensive 19-hour gumboots I knew it was him. search for the three-year-old “I went up to him carefully and brought massive relief because I didn’t want to and joy for Axle’s family and frighten him and he said: ‘I’ve all those involved. lost my mum’. Mr Hughes later described “I said ‘I know where she is, Axle as the “real hero from so come on let’s go to her’.” this” and “a tough little kid” The pair jumped into while police said it was “a his truck and drove to a miracle” he had survived rapturous welcome back at considering the the search base conditions and in Paroa Road. what he was I joined the “I joined the wearing — a search‘ because as search because shirt, nappies a dad my greatest as a dad my and blue greatest fear is gumboots. fear is something something like Axle went like this happening this happening missing from to one of my to one of my his home in children,” Mr Paroa Road at children ’ Hughes said. Mangatuna, — Peter Hughes “Axle is a north of Tolaga great little fella, ‘A TOUGH Bay, early a tough little Tuesday afternoon. kid. He’s the real hero from A major search was all of this, surviving out in mounted that at its peak the open all that cold night involved more than 150 the way he did with very people, with police, Search little clothing.” and Rescue operators, the Tolaga Bay police officer Trust Tairawhiti Rescue Richard Reeves was heavily Helicopter, surf lifeguards, involved in the search from LITTLE KID’ firefighters, family and the the outset. general public involved. “Some adults wouldn’t have Mr Hughes, of Tolaga survived that, even dressed Bay, spotted Axle at around in the right clothing,” Senior 10.30am yesterday. Const Reeves told 1 News. A ‘miracle’ Axle survived “I was driving along a “Even with the right gear forestry track called Spencers it’s tough out in the open like Road, off Paroa Road, about that and it’s often fatal,” said 3.5 kilometres from Axle’s Const Reeves, “so for someone 20-hour ordeal home when I saw what I that age and that size to be thought was a head of blond able to do it is a miracle. hair in the bush near the track, so I stopped,” the CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Classifieds ... 17-18 Racing ...............27 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Television ...........22 Sport ............ 28-32 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National .... 6-10, 20 World...... 13-15, 19 The Guide .... 23-26 Weather .............31 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, May 6, 2021 by Andrew Ashton comprises a 22-kilometre hike up and down RUATOREA takes centre Hikurangi, 25km bike stage this weekend with through Tapuaeroa Valley to hundreds of runners and Ruatorea and 5km gravel support crew members filling and river run or walk to the M2M A the township for the third ocean at Tuparoa Beach. Maunga to Moana adventure The adventure race guns race. will be vying to crack the Race founder and race record of 3 hours 20 organiser Keelan Poi said minutes. 400 people were expected “The race starts on to gather for a powhiri Saturday at 6.15am,” Poi in Ruatorea at midday said. tomorrow ahead of the Nati- “We also have our Nati- SELL-OUT Fest community market day Fest on the Friday, with 40 precursor to the race proper vendors coming. on Saturday. “We have a big powhiri at “This year, we are sold out, 12 noon. Every competitor so, it’s pretty huge,” Poi said. has to be there . to be “We have 250 who are welcomed into the region competing and another 250 properly. coming as support teams. “ We’re forecasting 400 Hundreds heading Our little place will be pretty people will be at the powhiri packed. and then straight after that Poi said they had “a better at 1pm is the Nati-Fest. buy-in” from the Coast “That’s in Ruatorea community this year. township. We have got to Ruatorea for “ I think 80 percent of our different community services competitors come from the and vendors and local East Coast region. Last year families selling food. 90 percent were from outside “Hopefully we can put adventure race of the region so it’s a big Ruatorea on the map as a change.” sought-after destination for The 54-kilometre race adventure racing.” ON THE DESCENT: Matakaoa team members (from left) Caron Taana, Lisa Rudland and Campbell Dewes (right), with race support Shaun Aupouri on a quad bike, stop on their way down Maunga Hikurangi to look at neighbouring Aorangi during a Maunga to Moana adventure race. The 2021 edition is on Saturday. Picture supplied LOOKING AHEAD SPORTS • Neighbourhood rivals OBM and HSOB do battle in Serious about 39266-01 premier club rugby. • Who will rule the playground in premier netball . Selling? Gisborne Girls’ High or Ritana? So am I. • Gisborne Thistle host top-of-the-table Massey University in Central Federation football. 027 515 5398 • It’s semifi nal time in men’s pennants golf — Karyn Anderson Poverty Bay face Gisborne Park 1 while Patutahi FOCUS ON THE LAND take on Te Puia Hot Springs. E [email protected] TOMORROW SATURDAY karynpropertybrokers 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: Jack Malcolm/John Gillies Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.nz PB048224 The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, May 6, 2021 NEWS 3 MP defends hui with Gang arrests at Nuhaka by Murray Robertson spokesperson said. 2 at Kokohu Road near “As a result three people Nuhaka. Mongrel Mob members POLICE monitored a gang at the Opoutama Road “Four gang members related funeral procession location were taken into and associates were taken through the Wairoa-Gisborne custody and each of them into custody there and IKAROA-Rawhiti-based Green list MP women take leadership over their lives and region yesterday morning has been charged with also charged with unlawful Dr Elizabeth Kerekere has defended her their whanau, with the support required to and arrests were made unlawful assembly and assembly and possession meeting with gang members. make that happen. during the event. possession of offensive of offensive weapons,” the Dr Kerekere and Green Party co-leader “The Green Party did not get into At around 9am yesterday, weapons.” The gang spokesperson said. Marama Davidson, along with Human Parliament for National to tell us what to as the gang members were members in the funeral “One of those arrested, Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt, visited the do.” travelling north, police procession were stopped a 21-year-old man, is also Mongrel Mob Kingdom in Hamilton. Dr Kerekere told Te Ao Maori News the became aware that a number short of Nuhaka while police charged with possessing The meeting has been criticised by the Green Party was clear that its priorities of people from another dealt with the rival gang cannabis for supply, and National and Act parties, but Dr Kerekere with Maori “are that we are here to listen to gang had congregated in members who were arrested. unlawful possession of a considers it a success. our whanau, hapu and iwi so that they have Opoutama Road at Nuhaka. “At about 9.15am in a firearm and ammunition.” “We met first with the Mana Wahine - a say in the issues that affect them”. “Police travelled ahead separate but related incident A prison transport van Wahine Toa chapter and then we spoke to “So we choose who we visit.” of the procession to police stopped a suspicious took away those arrested at the whole whanau,” Dr Kerekere said. Those whanau were struggling to find a make inquiries,” a police vehicle on State Highway the Kokohu Road incident. The MP said National and Act had home, struggling to heat the one they have reacted badly and spent the days since the and getting access to health and education, weekend meeting “trying to penalise us for as are any Maori across the country. listening to Maori”. The stigmatising of gang members gave Name of crash victim released “We don’t think it’s fair to marginalise agencies an excuse not to provide service and shame Maori because they are in a or protect them and “it is the right of POLICE have released the name of the He was 30-year-old Tawiti Mokaraka Mokai gang.