TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 UNRAVELLING PAGE 6 CRUCIAL PERIOD FOR CONDO MYSTERY OF COVID TESTS CATASTROPHE: SILENT 100 REMAIN QUAKES MISSING PAGE 2 PAGE 13 IN THE FIRING LINE Verbal abuse of district council staff on the rise by Alice Angeloni the “big spike” in verbal abuse towards staff could have a A “WORRYING trend” shows detrimental effect on their health public servants in Gisborne are and wellbeing. facing more verbal abuse, a health “The worrying trend is it’s and safety manager says. not just in one team where the Reports expectation is (of abuse) — the of Gisborne parking enforcement, the animal District Council control guys. staff being “We’ve seen it in customer abused by the services, we’ve seen it in City public increased Watch and we’ve seen it at the from 26 to 43 in library,” he said. the past three Mr Wilkinson said the months. experience was not unique to These reports Gisborne District Council. came from teams including Council chief executive Nedine library staff, animal control, Thatcher Swann said chief parking enforcement executives in the and City Watch. local government Council-contracted Massey University sector had reported roles like Go Bus and local body the community was waste management becoming more confirmed similar governance expert abusive towards experiences. Dr Andy Asquith staff at public A report presented said a mindset meetings. to the council’s audit Chief executives and risk committee that deemed it were looking at on Wednesday said was acceptable measures to protect measures to protect to abuse public staff, she said. staff included body servants had “People don’t cameras and stab- wake up to go to THE RISE OF MATARIKI: Teaio Rangihaeata (left) and Tautua Village founder proof vests although pervaded society. meetings and be Malia Patea-Taylor work on a piece of tapa as part of Tautua Village and Tautua Arts’ two-day the council later abused, and that’s Matariki (Maori New Year) workshops held for youth. Other workshops were toi (art) with Simon clarified this was not what they’re finding Lardelli and fashion art with Lindah Lepou. Malia said the workshops offered the opportunity new. — that the verbal to try something completely different and explore one’s own creativity, whakapapa and culture. Body cameras are used by abuse has been increasing,” Mrs Tapa cloth is made from bark that has been softened through a process of soaking and beating. parking, City Watch, animal Thatcher Swann said. The inner bark is taken from several types of trees or shrubs, often mulberry and fig, and control and the monitoring and Councillor Sandra Faulkner designs are applied with paints and vegetable dyes of light brown, red, and black. Though there compliance teams. asked what councils offered are a variety of local names, the word tapa, originally from Tahiti, is commonly used to refer to Protective vests have been in terms of support for elected bark cloth made all over the world. Tapa is made for everyday needs such as room dividers issued to parking, City Watch and members who were caught in the and clothing and floor mats, as well as ceremonial uses in weddings and funerals. More on the animal control. “firing line”. workshops in tomorrow’s Gisborne Herald while The Weekender will feature a story about what Council health and safety Matariki is and how it relates to Tairawhiti. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell manager David Wilkinson said CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Racing .......... 17-18 Television ...........23 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Literature ...........20 Sport ............ 24-28 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National .......... 6-10 World............13, 16 Classifieds ... 21-22 Weather .............27 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Friday, June 25, 2021 A silent mystery Slow slip event linked to cluster of quakes by Jamie Morton, NZ Herald Mahia Peninsula. “We expect to see a similar pattern THE second “silent earthquake” to of small earthquakes near Gisborne unfold beneath New Zealand within for this current slow-slip event in weeks appears to have driven a line with what has been observed cluster of tremors north of Gisborne, during previous events.” including a magnitude 4.2 shake. Over the past two weeks, scientists What are called slow slip events have observed a cluster of about 60 (SSEs) or “silent earthquakes” — a small earthquakes north of Gisborne phenomenon observed only in coincidental to the timing of the the last two decades — can last slow slip event. from days to years and produce Five of these have measured up to tens of centimetres of greater than magnitude 3.0. The displacements along faults. largest — a magnitude 4.2 on June But because they happen 16 — was only reported as “felt” on too slowly to be picked up by GeoNet by 123 people. seismometers, or felt by humans, “Most of these events have been they can only be recorded using unnoticeable,” Dr Wallace said. special GPS equipment measuring “We’re keeping an eye on this data the slow movement of land. to better understand the possible One that played out over two relationship between the recent weeks in late May off the coast of earthquake cluster and the slow slip Porangahau was observed to cause event.” a flurry of small earthquakes around She noted that SSEs in New central Hawke’s Bay. Zealand were typically associated GeoNet scientists have just with increased numbers of small reported a new event that appears to earthquakes. have started near Gisborne on “We located 50 percent more June 14 and has already caused earthquakes in the Porangahau several centimetres of movement region in the last month than we within the plate boundary. would normally locate.” Dr Laura Wallace, of GNS Science, A range of seismic and geodetic The slow slip event is located in an area where the said a GPS station set up at instruments are deployed along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone is transitioning from being Gisborne had also recorded about East Coast to capture data from “stuck” beneath the southern North Island, to an area 2cm of eastward displacement. SSEs. where the subduction zone is “creeping” further north SSEs are now known to be “Insights from this data will help around Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. GeoNet image relatively common features of the scientists better understand what Hikurangi Subduction Zone — a drives slow slip activity and could largely offshore margin where the aid in future monitoring to forecast Pacific Plate dives, or subducts, large earthquakes.” same year. westward beneath the North Island. The Hikurangi Subduction Zone, Last month, researchers reported Specifically they tend to happen presenting one of New Zealand’s how the slowest earthquake ever within areas where the subduction largest geological hazards, is also recorded — lasting 32 years — zone is transitioning from being ideal for studying slow slip quakes eventually led to the catastrophic “stuck” beneath the southern because they occur shallow enough 1861 Sumatra earthquake in North Island to an area where the to be imaged at high resolution Indonesia. subduction zone is “creeping” using seismic techniques. A 4.2 quake that Because of their regular frequency struck north of further north around Gisborne and In some events, large areas of in New Zealand, scientists now Hawke’s Bay. land have been observed to move Gisborne (white ring) know the events are part of normal on June 16 has been While they occur around every five eastward by up to 4cm over days, behaviour in our subduction zone years at Porangahau, further up the weeks, or even months. linked to a “silent and recording one does not mean a quake” unfolding in coast at Gisborne they play out as As there has been increasing major rupture is on the way. frequently as every one to two years. evidence to suggest such the area. “Slow slip events are a great GeoNet image But larger events like this latest movements can shift stress within reminder that we live on a very one occur around every four to six the Earth’s crust and, in rare cases, active tectonic plate boundary here years and the last slow quake of trigger large earthquakes, scientists in New Zealand,” Dr Wallace said. comparable size was recorded over have been watching slow quakes April and June in 2019. around the world all the more “Even though these two East closely. Coast slow slip events are a couple Wallace believes that solving GeoNet This GeoNet of hundred kilometres apart, we the mystery of SSEs will help us graphs show image shows often see such events clustering in better understand the potential of how GPS the direction of time,” Dr Wallace said. the Hikurangi subduction zone to stations at movement of “For example, a series of slow slip produce major earthquakes. Gisborne GeoNet GPS events like this occurred in 2011 and They have have preceded some and nearby sites and amount 2016.” of the most devastating quakes Carnagh of displacement During the 2019 event near recorded, including the 9.1 Tohuku have moved at the plate Gisborne, scientists recorded many earthquake in 2011, the 8.1 Iquique eastward boundary small-to-moderate earthquakes in earthquake in Chile in 2014 and a since July resulting from the the area, including a 5.1 quake near 7.2 shake off the coast of Mexico the last year. current slow slip event. LOOKING AHEAD Get your FOCUS ON THE LAND Gisborne Herald • The rural school tour to attract young people home-delivered into rural health professions comes to the district next week. • A report from Wednesday’s B+LNZ referendum WHAT IS roadshow at Emerald Hotel.