TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.70, RETAIL $2.00 HEART FOUNDATION ANNUAL APPEAL ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT AUSSIE BUSHFIRES PAGES 19-22 ‘IT WAS LIKE FIGHTING A LIVING BEAST’ PAGE 2 PAGE 5 MUNCH-TIME Te Hapara School students Shae Abbott and Rychis Moss gobble up their nutritious lunches which are being delivered every day, thanks to the Government’s healthy school lunch programme. Eight Gisborne schools are taking part in the pilot programme and some have already started providing free lunches as part of the new Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy. The programme was launched today when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins served lunch at Flaxmere primary school in Hawke’s Bay. Thirty- one schools totalling 7000 students in Hawke’s Bay/ Tairawhiti and Bay of Plenty/ Waiariki will receive lunches. This number will extend to 21,000 students in 120 schools, including Otago/ Southland, by the start of 2021. STORY ON PAGE 4 Picture by Rebecca Grunwell PROJECT RUNWAYS Aerodromes to be developed at Ruatoria, Te Araroa by Aaron van Delden no longer receive funding through the activity by private aviation visitors”. negotiating its funding contract with the Whenua Maori allocation. In Ruatoria, the airstrip is owned and unit, which administers the Provincial COMMERCIAL flights in and out But the Ruatoria aerodrome project operated by Ruatoria Papa Rererangi Growth Fund. of Ruatoria and Te Araroa are on the still qualified for and would receive Charitable Trust, which has been granted In an interview on Radio Ngati horizon, with aerodromes to be developed a Provincial Growth Fund grant, a $100,000. Porou last year, Mr Maru said the trust in both isolated East Coast Provincial Development Unit The airstrip, off Thatcher Road, is was thinking about the next 25 years communities. (PDU) spokesperson said. home to the local aero club, which is set and working on a master plan for the Funding from the The aim for both projects to celebrate its 60th anniversary next aerodrome. Provincial Growth Fund’s is to develop grass airstrips month. The PDU spokesperson said the Whenua Maori allocation for to a state where they can be The trustees are Dan Russell of trust had signalled that in the future the two aerodrome projects registered on the Aeronautical Puketiti Station, near Te Puia Springs, it intended to submit another funding was announced earlier this month. Information Publication (AIP) used by and Mahanga Maru. application for the runway to be sealed. However, following inquiries by The pilots, the spokesperson said. Mr Maru referred all questions on the Gisborne Herald, one of those projects, The AIP registration would generate project to the Provincial Development which is not on Maori-owned land, will “opportunities for tourism and economic Unit, noting that the trust was still CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Two days of exhibits and seminars for East Coast Farming Expo Sheep & Beef Farmers 26 - 27 February : Wairoa A&P Showgrounds Download your free day pass at www.eastcoastexpo.co.nz 30957-01 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............10 Classifieds ... 15-16 Television ...........23 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............11 Racing .......... 17-18 Sport ............ 24-28 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National ............ 6-9 World............ 12-13 The Guide .... 19-22 Weather .............27 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, February 20, 2020 by Murray Robertson were out in the bush most of the people you’ve never met before day.” come up to you and say thank GISBORNE volunteer Their work varied from back you the way they did. firefighter Mike Pyatt has returned burning and mopping up to “In one place, the locals home safe and sound from hotspotting and working to plugged a fridge into power on fighting bushfires in Australia. control the fire front. the side of the road and filled it And he has brought with “The fire was like a living full of ice blocks and cold drinks. him new ideas, experience beast, angry and full of heat and We were able to take what we and techniques he believes just eating whatever was in front wanted when we went by. DUTY will benefit rural firefighting in of it,” Mike said. “That shows the level of Tairawhiti. “There was no time to feel appreciation. Mike was one of 21 volunteer any fear. We train for how to “Possibly the biggest thing rural firefighters from around New behave around fires and what we we did for them was give them a Zealand who went to Australia in encountered over there put that break from fighting fires. the second deployment to help training into good practice.” “Some of those folks had been AND THE fight the devastating bushfires. The Kiwi contingent came at it for a couple of months.” They were deployed to through their deployment Mike said he learned a southern New South Wales for unscathed. lot about “dry” firefighting 16 days. “There were no really close techniques — things like cutting The 53-year-old long-time calls for us. We got off pretty fire breaks and back burning — rural firefighter and the team good, pretty lightly, apart from and heavy machinery use. he was part of were based at a couple of occasions where “I learned more about Queanbeyan near Canberra. burning trees came down pretty working within a team and BEAST “We were put on to the close to us — close enough for working with each other, which Jinden fire, which was south of us to notice.” I will be passing on to the local Canberra. It was part of a much Mike said the people in the volunteers.” “The fire was like a living beast, larger fire that had covered about communities where they were Mike got a big welcome home. 17,000 hectares.” working were so appreciative. “The family were quite pleased angry and full of heat and eating The Kiwi team worked long “Their level of appreciation to have me back and I was days. We started as early as we was spectacular. pleased to be home safe and whatever was in front of it.” could in the morning and we “It’s really humbling to have sound.” TEAM NZ: Rural firefighter Mike Pyatt from Gisborne (second from left) has returned home after 16 days fighting bushfires in Australia as part of the second Kiwi deployment. Wherever they went in southern NSW the air looked like this (below) while the appreciation of the locals extended to providing a fridge full of ice blocks and cold drinks (below right) plugged into power and located on the side of the road. Pictures supplied LOOKING AHEAD Get your SPORTS Gisborne Herald • Expect mayhem at the speedway when team home-delivered demo derby drivers go head to head. • Snap. OBR face HSOB in DJ Barry Cup club cricket on Saturday . then meet again Sunday. • It’s southern derby time in Super Rugby — the Crusaders versus the Highlanders. • Maori All Stars to fi ght fi re with fi re in a highly-anticipated rugby league clash with the FOCUS ON THE LAND Indigenous All Stars. TOMORROW SATURDAY 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: Grant Miller/John Gillies To nd out more call 869 0620 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.n The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, February 20, 2020 NEWS 3 Govt grant of $298,000 for port to buy electric truck THE Government has after assessing the electric awarded a $298,000 grant trucks available at the time, towards the price of a 27-tonne they decided not to take up electric truck to be used for this funding. watering and dust suppression “After further scoping the at Eastland Port. available options, we decided A 60kW fast-charging not to proceed until we could station will also be installed source and customise the ideal on the port. electric truck for our unique The electric truck will take requirements. We reapplied SQUASH TIMES THREE: The third export squash shipment of the season by sea from over the tasks of a traditional and are delighted that we’ve Gisborne has been swinging over the side of Eastland Port on to the freighter Atlantic Erica. The ship diesel-powered truck. been successful. We’re now will take about 3500 units, or tonnes of squash, for Japan. Coxco managing director Omi Badsar said Eastland Group chief progressing with the project the early crops had been quite good. “We’ve seen good yields and good quality so far. The current dry executive Matt Todd said the and will confirm final costings, spell will put some pressure on our later season crops.” The freighter will sail tomorrow with a fourth all-electric truck would help timeframes and delivery date squash shipment scheduled for March 4. The logger Glorious Sunlight (also pictured here) has sailed, reduce noise levels and their in due course.” and the Ruby Enterprise has taken her place alongside to load logs for South Korea. carbon footprint, In 2019 Eastland Group “Using the EECA CO2 and its shareholder, Trust Picture by Paul Rickard emissions calculator, we Tairawhiti, signed up to the worked out our diesel water Climate Leaders Coalition. truck produced 0.77 tonnes of The organisation aims to help carbon dioxide New Zealand in just 35 days. transition to a “Incorporating The introduction low emissions an electric truck of a new electric economy. CITY RATES HIKE into the port’s ‘ “We believe fleet will be water truck at that we can a substantial the port is a very be a leader step towards in steering GDC considering 6.4pc average increase significantly positive step Tairawhiti cutting our —Matt’ Todd towards zero by Aaron van Delden She called the plan’s development “most emissions.” carbon through unsatisfactory”.