TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 SPENDING UP DESPITE COVID-19 PAGE 3 VIGILANCE AFTER SPIKE ADVISED AT BORDER PAGE 6 SIGN OF THE TIMES: It worked in Australia so Kim Holloway thought he would give it a go back in his hometown of Gisborne. ‘RESIGN AND A homemade cardboard sign on the corner of Fitzherbert Street and Ormond Road has weathered thunderstorms and lots of rain but still stands strong along with its message. Kim, 56, needs a job and he will consider anything. The mechanical fitter has GO AWAY’ been in the trade for most of his working life. He spent 15 years in Australia building exploration drills for the mines. Mechanical engineering is “in my blood”, he said. When he made a similar sign in Australia he got “heaps of responses”. “So I thought I’d give it a go here. I’ve had about six phone calls and been to a couple of interviews, which I will hear back later today about.” PAGE 14 Picture by Liam Clayton Improving waterways $1.4 million boost to Waimata, Uawa projects TWO projects in the district are set The Waimata Catchment Group to receive $1.4 million in funding from has been doing a range of activities, the Ministry for the Environment’s including tree planting, fencing and Freshwater Improvement Fund to help weed control, around the Waimata River clean up and protect waterways while and its tributaries over the last 12 also creating jobs. months. Waimata Catchment Group “This funding recognises the efforts Incorporated (WCG) will get $845,000 landowners and the community have to help with the Waimata Catchment been making to restore the health of the Restoration Project (WCRP). river,” WCG chair Matt Maclaurin said. Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti Centre of The funding will enable the Excellence Trust will get $582,602 to restoration work to expand beyond the help with the Uawanui Restoration initial seven landowners working on the Project (URP). river to the wider catchment. Over five years the WCRP project “It’s been great to see the enthusiasm aims to restore water quality along 38 from landowners to participate in the kilometres of the Waimata River. restoration efforts,” project manager The project will do this through Laura Watson said. 30km of riparian fencing, stock water “To date, the project has been largely reticulation, culverting/bridging stock focused on the upper catchment but with crossings and planting over 150,000 this new funding we will be able to do riparian plants. work across the whole area.” RESTORATION: Waimata Catchment Group Incorporated is set to receive $845,000 It is estimated it will create nine full- from the Freshwater Improvement Fund to help with the Waimata Catchment time equivalent jobs. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Restoration Project. Picture by Liam Clayton. GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Television ...........16 Sport ............ 20-24 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Classifieds ... 17-18 Weather .............23 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National .......... 6-10 World............ 13-15 Racing ................19 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Monday, January 11, 2021 IT’S ALL MINE: There’s no stopping Wainui’s Sofia Zame as she outguns Waikanae’s Jess Kapene to win the female under-17 beach flags final at the Gisborne Surf Lifesaving Championships. Zame also won the board race and beach sprint in her age group. Waikanae topped the overall points with 415 to win the Ralph Morse Shield, with Midway second on 325 and Wainui third on 61. Pictures by Paul Rickard TRUE GRIT BEST ON THE BOARD: Waikanae’s Lachie Falloon ruled the board race, winning PADDLE POWER: the open and under-17 male titles. He also won the open ironman and was part of Midway’s Alex Bermingham was a powerhouse in the ski multiple winning teams in various disciplines. events, highlighted by her victory in the open female ski final. VICTORY IN SIGHT: Midway’s Sophie LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Former New Zealand Petro heads towards the finish line and representative and now Midway coach Matt Sutton first place in the under-15 female surf BUSY BOY: Waikanae’s Clayden Hope was one of the busier contributed plenty of points to the club tally, including race. She also won the u15 diamond competitors over the champs, competing in more than 20 winning the open male surf race and being narrowly person, ski race and 2km beach run, individual and team events, including this win in the under-19 beaten by Waikanae’s Quaid Thompson in the ski among other successes. male board race final. final. The Gisborne Herald • Monday, January 11, 2021 NEWS 3 Swift actions saved swimmer at Midway by Murray Robertson between Midway and The Pipe where a swimmer, “It was looking very serious and at one stage John Ambulance paramedics and transported to a man in his 50s, had been seen in difficulties. I was about to swim out myself to the guy when Gisborne Hospital. LIFEGUARDS were about to start the “They got there fast and had the person I saw the IRB on the way,” said Justin Martin of The Trust Tairawhiti Rescue Helicopter was Gisborne championships prize-giving at safely back on the beach very quickly,” the call-out squad. also called out and arrived on scene in under 10 Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club on Saturday a witness said. “The swimmer had been “The surfer and the swimmer he was minutes. when a call came in about someone in trouble supported by a surfer until the IRB arrived.” supporting were not far from shore but they “We were stood down as we arrived because in the surf at Midway. Police initiated the rescue after a call from a were not going anywhere because of the the swimmer had already been rescued,” a It happened at around 6pm and patrols on the member of the public. strong current. If it had not been for the surfer rescue chopper spokeswoman said. city beaches had ended for the day. The Character Roofing Surf Life Saving the incident could have had a very serious “It was a good result for everyone involved.” An IRB crew from Waikanae were mobilised Emergency Call-out Squad responded and outcome.” The man was treated and discharged from and they raced down the beach to the area mobilised the Waikanae IRB. The man was treated on the beach by St hospital. Injured woman facing a long STANLEY road to recovery ROAD CRASHES: A GISBORNE woman who jumped from the first Two vehicle crashes floor of Gisborne Hospital last week is in a stable happened within condition in ICU at Waikato Hospital. two blocks of each The 32-year-old woman’s partner told The Gisborne other in the city Herald it was going to be a long road to recovery. on Saturday night. “The spinal surgery went well, and today there will The driver of this be further surgery on her ankle,” she said. “She is in a car was taken to lot of pain and isn’t enjoying being stuck in ICU. She’s hospital after the had some good moments and had a few laughs but vehicle went off the ultimately that hurts, too. road and smashed “I find it very disheartening that no one at Gisborne into a fence at Hospital has called to apologise or even ask how she the Stanley Road/ is doing. It just makes me feel like they don’t care and Childers Road rubs salt in the wound. I’m missing my family and roundabout shortly friends back in Gisborne who are also missing us.” before 10pm. In Gisborne Hospital did not want to comment further the second crash, but have confirmed an investigation is under way. at around 1am on The woman was in Ward 5 at Gisborne Hospital Sunday, a car left when she had an adverse reaction to steroids. Gladstone Road She was able to open a first floor window by at the Stanley unscrewing the latch, and jumped out in the early Road corner hours of Tuesday morning. and smashed She suffered multiple injuries. through the pedestrian safety railing alongisde Warm one in Wairoa the footpath. There were no YESTERDAY was a day for the beach and reported injuries swimming, with Wairoa the hottest spot in New from that crash. Zealand and Gisborne not far behind, MetService data Picture by shows. Paul Rickard Wairoa topped the national temperature charts with a high of 29.1 degrees between 4.30pm and 5.30pm MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said. Gisborne Airport recorded a maximum of 26.1 degrees. Spending up on 2019 Tough retail year ended on a high note DESPITE the Covid-19 and year on year December “Conversely, spending sector are merchants who lockdown, consumers here 2020 was up by 5 percent through hospitality generally sell the day-to-day spent more than over December 2019. merchants was down goods that we all require. $423 million on credit and “For the year in total, core 4.5 percent for the year. This includes clothes, debit cards last year. retail spending was $42.6 “The hospitality sector computers, couches and New figures from Paymark, billion (nationally) through can be split further into cosmetics to name just a few. which processes about Paymark, an underlying accommodation providers, “These merchants recorded 75 percent of all electronic increase of just 0.1 percent, some of which also serve food a decline in spending of 3.2 transactions, show Gisborne not surprising in view of and liquor, and the larger percent for the year but consumers spent $24m more Covid-19.