TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI SATURDAY-SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27-28, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.70 ON TOUR WITH CORY INSIDE TODAY FIRE VICTIM’S PLEA: ‘WE NEED A NEW HOME’ PAGE 2 COVID-19 ■ PM frustrated by non-compliance ■ Social media attacks ‘unhelpful ■ Healthline delays due to understaffing ■ Cook Islands ready UNDER WAY: Border worker and health protection officer Cyrena Bennett receives the first of two required and waiting doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from trained vaccinator Roimata Brown. The Government’s vaccine roll-out of border workers and those who live with them started in Auckland earlier this week, and in Gisborne this PAGES 6-8, 11, 13 morning. Picture supplied TODAY is a big day for Tairawhiti. chief executive Jim Green. THE national Covid-19 vaccination “Tairawhiti is one of the most vulnerable programme started in Gisborne this morning communities in Aotearoa. with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine being “We can all help to eliminate that administered to border workers. vulnerability by stepping up when the vaccine The local roll-out of the vaccine “signals an is made available to us. important milestone on a journey to protect “Working with our iwi health partners and Vaccine our community from the virus,” says Covid-19 leaders will be an important part of this roll- vaccinator Roimata Brown. out to ensure our community can make an “I’m proud to be helping our community informed choice about the vaccine.” stay safe, especially as we have some very The vaccination programme starts in vulnerable whanau here in Tairawhiti. Gisborne two days earlier than previously “It’s a good feeling knowing that you’re reported to make it as easy as possible for contributing to the safety of our people. border workers and the people they live with. “Our team of public health nurses have About 300 people are eligible for the vaccine trained for this and we’re excited to get at this stage and delivery will roll out over started.” the course of the week. roll-out Border workers and the people they live The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is with are categorised as Tier 1 — the first approximately 95 percent effective after two group to be vaccinated. doses. The workers are first in line because The swift production of the vaccine comes of their regular contact with people from as the result of international collaboration overseas. and dedication by pharmaceutical companies “Our team of local vaccinators will also worldwide to find an effective and safe be vaccinated over the next week,” said Ms vaccine against the virus. Brown. At the same time, the vaccine has met all begins High risk front-line health, fire and the appropriate standards and checks, and is emergency services workers, who are at the approved for use by Medsafe — the country’s highest risk of exposure to Covid-19, will pharmaceutical regulator. follow as the next group to be vaccinated. For official information about the According to the roll-out sequencing Covid-19 vaccine and vaccination roll-out plan ‘Getting vaccinated will be one of the developed by the Ministry of Health, in Aotearoa, visit covid19.govt.nz aged-care workers and residents, those with biggest contributions that we can all underlying health conditions, kaumatua and A STORY in yesterday’s paper stated “border older people will also be prioritised. workers and their whanau” will be offered a make to the safety of ourselves, our “Getting vaccinated will be one of the vaccination against Covid-19. This should have said biggest contributions that we can all make to border workers “and the people they live with” will be whanau and the wider community’ the safety of ourselves, our whanau and the eligible. The article also said the vaccine arrived on wider community,” says Hauora Tairawhiti Thursday. It arrived yesterday. GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ...... 11-12 Farming ..............17 Television ...W9-11 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ........ 13-14 Racing ................21 Sport ............ 28-32 TOMORROW National .... 6-10, 20 World...... 15-16, 19 Classifieds ... 22-27 Weather .............31 977 1175467004 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, February 27, 2021 THE GRAPE ESCAPE: The district’s grape growers have breathed a sigh of relief in the wake of the heavy rain earlier this month when it comes to potential crop damage. “We’ve seen some grape splitting in some blocks but that band of wet weather does not seem to have affected us unduly,” said Gisborne Winegrowers chairman Mark Thompson, pictured (at right) with Gisvin general manager Hamish Jackson at a Bushmere Road vineyard. “We have come through that wet weather relatively unscathed.” The harvest rolls along with a peak expected over the next three weeks. “Some growers are about half to three-quarters of the way through their harvests already.” Pictures by Liam Clayton Fire leaves family homeless by Sophie Rishworth DESTROYED off clothes for them. BY FIRE: A mother, “Someone dropped us off a mutton, too. ON Monday night, a mother of four her four children and That was cool . we have had chops and left her London Street home and popped her step-dad were roast since Monday.” down to Pak’nSave Supermarket to get living in an upstairs But until they have somewhere to live dinner. flat of this London they cannot accept donated items such as Members of her whanau were lying on Street block of units furniture. their beds watching movies. severely damaged by No emergency accommodation is When she returned 20 minutes later, fire on Monday night. available in Gisborne and Ms Hohipa said the entire upstairs flat where she lived They are innocent she was told the waiting list was “very with her family was ablaze. victims of the blaze, long”. At home were her teenage children — which started in a “People have been putting my name aged, 17, 14 and 13 — her six-year-old, ground-floor flat, forward but the houses are already rented her step-dad and an eight-year-old child and urgently require out. All I can do is keep applying.” visiting at the time. somewhere to live. Work and Income gave them $200 All managed to get out of the burning for some bedding and linen but told Ms house with only the clothes they had on. Picture by Hohipa until the police report about the “When they were running out, the Rebecca Grunwell fire came through they could not help with floor was that hot they couldn’t stand on anything else. it,” said the mother, who wanted to be Police told The Herald the fire started in identified only as Ms Hohipa. out of the flat the family had lived in for his house over the weekend while he is a bedroom in one of the ground floor units. “The outside of the house was on six years. away. It was accidental but the cause was fire and smoke was pouring out of the Her six-year-old was still a bit shocked “It will give this household a break from linked to a tenant growing hydroponic downstairs flat. They got outside and about the ordeal but her three teenagers us for couple of days,” Ms Hohipa said. cannabis in his bedroom. Police have since they just ran. seemed all right. After that it is back to cramped living charged the man. “Then the whole house blew up in The family have had to move into her conditions. Ms Hohipa and her family lost flames.” father’s house — a three-bedroom home Her family urgently need a new place everything in the fire. She said it was Ms Hohipa said her step-dad was first that now has 12 people living in it. to live. hard to ask for help but the family needed to hear a smoke alarm, and got everybody An uncle in Mahia has let them stay in Ms Hohipa said whanau had dropped a roof over their heads. LOOKING AHEAD Get your ALL THE LATEST NEWS, INCLUDING: Gisborne Herald • The housing affordability rate continues to rise in home-delivered Gisborne. • Mayor encouraging all Gisborne households to have a water tank. • A gastronomical experience of local delicacies and more . that’s the Essence of Tairawhiti festival. • A new EIT course will prepare people for a career in the forestry industry. 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: Jack Malcolm/John Gillies To fi nd out more call 869 0620 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.nz The Gisborne Herald • Saturday, February 27, 2021 NEWS 3 Reprieve granted for drug, driving offences AN Auckland man who admitted Hussona was up for sentence year, Hussona, whose licence had an hour. Two vehicles were travelling There were no aggravating factors possessing ecstasy to supply at the on charges to which he previously been suspended between April 1 and towards him, a runner was on the side the court needed to take into account, 2019 Rhythm and Vines festival has pleaded guilty — possession for April 30, 2020, was driving at speed of the road and another person was the judge said. been discharged without conviction supply of ecstasy (a Class B drug) along a residential street in Hahei walking a dog. Hussona was 19 and 20 at the for that and other unrelated offending. and possession of cannabis seeds when he lost control of his vehicle at a Hussona was seen travelling at times of the offending, pleaded guilty Judge Neil Dawson said Thomas (Class C), arising out of his offending T-intersection.