TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 ANDY HADEN: PIONEER, COLOSSUS, LEGEND PAGE 7 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT // PAGES 20-23 PAGES 3, 6, COVID-19 8, 10-13, 16 • Co-payment sCheme for Kiwi ENCOURAGING YOUTH TO VOTE: Electoral Commission youth advocate Alice Kibble was at returnees slammed Gisborne Boys’ High School yesterday to explain more about the enrolment process and encourage young people to vote. She is pictured with student Jesse Russell who enrolled on the day. About 20 students turned up to find out more about the process • huge spiKeSFHGGFHS in foreigners looKing of enrolling, with half of those signing up to vote. The youth electoral education sessions at Gisborne high schools aim to get at living in nZ young people to exercise their democratic right to vote. Only 61 percent of eligible people under 24 are registered to vote in • less Cases but nine more deaths September’s election and there is uncertainty about how Covid-19 may contribute to voter turnout among young people. Youth in viCtoria PAGE 22 voter turnout in New Zealand has always been low but is on the rise. According to Electoral Commission statistics, the turnout for • expert says reusable faCe those aged 18 to 24 went from 62.7 percent in 2014 to 69.3 percent in 2017. This year’s General Election will be held on Saturday, masKs a must in nZ September 19, and it will be New Zealand’s biggest one yet. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell by Wynsley Wrigley “It is a long time since I have paid incorrectly. been able to report that.” Mr Green said the THE courage of health Board chairwoman Kim Government had made a workers during the Ngarimu said Covid-19 had provision for the estimated Covid-19 crisis has been praised been the biggest health impact of the Holidays Act by Hauora Tairawhiti chief emergency “any of us will issue. Hauora Tairawhiti was Courage executive Jim Green. experience in our lives”. She about to start a “more indepth Workers were determined gave “special thanks to our investigation of our application the perils of the 1918 influenza staff, who just kept on going of the act” as part of correcting pandemic — when about through all of this”. systems and any consequent 9000 New Zealanders died in The board had an end-of-year remediation process should any the space of two months — (to June 30) “business-as-usual” underpayments be confirmed. would not be repeated in the deficit of $10.6 million, with The board’s financial report community through Covid-19, Hauora Tairawhiti having an put the total end-of-year deficit he said. approved budget for the 2019- at $13.842m. in crisis “With that determination 2020 year of a $12m deficit. Mr Green said more people and teaming up with all of Unbudgeted Covid-19 costs were seeking hospital services our health providers, iwi and were another $1.4m. after the end of the lockdown the community, collectively we Mr Green told The Gisborne period. There had been “a achieved a really good outcome.” Herald that health boards had huge bounceback” in June of Tairawhiti recorded just four been funded for a proportion of people being admitted into the cases of Covid-19. Covid-19 costs but not all. hospital. The lockdown “was an intense Health boards were tracking Planned care or elective hailed and anxious time for us all” the costs and reporting those to services levels in June were but health workers who found the Ministry of Health. over 100 percent of targeted themselves in these “unknown “We have been advised levels. Staff had “pulled out The lockdown ‘was an new circumstances”, with there will not be any further all stops” but it was not easy intense and anxious time for significant workloads, had funding for the 2019-2020 year as people kept coming in with shown courage, said Mr Green. but we have already received other conditions. us all’ but health workers Covid-19 showed what people funding this year for areas It had not been necessary to who found themselves could achieve in a crisis. such as testing, contact-tracing cancel any surgeries. in these ‘unknown new Mr Green was reporting at preparedness and training of Mr Green said Director- Hauora Tairawhiti’s monthly staff.” General of Health Dr Ashley circumstances’, with board meeting, where tribute The end-of-year result also Bloomfield’s challenge for significant workloads, had was paid to staff for their included funding provisions health boards of catching up shown courage. efforts during the pandemic. for the Holidays Act situation, with the elective surgeries The board would have been where health boards and backlog caused by the —Hauora Tairawhiti under budget for the 2019-2020 many other organisations had Covid-19 lockdown by the end chief executive Jim Green financial year if it were not for wrongly interpreted the act, of the calendar year would be Covid-19, he said. resulting in some staff being met by Hauora Tairawhiti. GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............10 Racing .......... 17-18 Television ..........24 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............11 Classifieds .........19 Sport ............ 25-28 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National ...... 6-9, 16 World............ 12-13 The Guide .... 20-23 Weather .............27 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Thursday, July 30, 2020 COOL RUNNINGS Putting the fun into school cross-country by Jack Malcolm for police to engage with the community and “bring the barriers down”. THE school cross-country can be “It’s about connecting with children. the worst day on the calender for many Often they see us in a different light.” students. Awapuni School vice-principal and fun Doing laps of the school field is run organiser Stu Barclay said the goal of not the idea of fun for some, and the the event was for everyone to participate corresponding spike in absentees and and have fun. “injuries” reflects that. In the past, he had seen kids trying Awapuni School has set out to change all sorts of methods to get out of doing the model, holding its first-ever fun run cross-country, like hiding in the toilets. this week to encourage kids to get active It was about doing something kids and be involved. enjoy that was fun and healthy, and it Highlights of the course included was evident from all the smiles on the a mudpit, a slip and slide and getting children’s faces they were having a great covered in colourful chalk. time, he said. Jess Brown, who was at the event “It’s about putting a different spin on it supporting her daughter, said it was a . the teachers are in behind it . and nice change from a typical cross-country, the kids want to do it.” which her daughter didn’t enjoy. Mr Barclay hopes the success of the “It’s great. She’d often get nervous fun run will result in it becoming an about cross-country but this is really annual event. cool.” The school will hold a traditional cross- Manning the army crawl net was country in which runners can qualify for school community police officer Carolyn the Eastland primary inter-school event — Hodginson, who said it was a great way but only for those who want to do it. ALL ABOUT FUN AND TAKING PART: Awapuni School introduced a more fun and healthy cross-country to its calendar and the kids loved it — so much so that the school is looking at it being an annual event. From left, Timote Kavai gets a “chalking”, Maia Welch negotiates the cargo net and Blaze Bridgeman wades through the mudpit. It was held at the school on Tuesday. Pictures by Liam Clayton Covid swabs continue but at a much lower rate ALL Tairawhiti GP practices, including individuals. These people are in the High Index of Ngarimu told board members at their those on the East Coast and in Waikohu, “We are still swabbing a reasonable Suspicion group. monthly meeting that up to Monday of are continuing to offer Covid-19 number of people, although numbers are Testing is also recommended for last week the board had tested the most swabbing. much lower than at the height of our older people with a existing respiratory residents and the most Maori nationwide Hauora Tairawhiti medical officer Covid-19 response,” said Dr Mansoor. condition or who have had a pre-existing on a percentage basis. of health Dr Osman David Mansoor “As an example, 29 people were respiratory condition. Most testing was being done at the says anyone with an acute respiratory swabbed on Monday, July 20, 14 people Health Minister Chris Hipkins last borders and in quarantine facilities. infection with at least one of the on Tuesday, July 21, and 28 people on week said he wanted testing rates That testing provided assurance to following symptoms — new or worsening Wednesday, July 22.” increased to an average of 4000 a day, the public but what “really mattered” cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, Testing is especially important for Testing peaked at 10,0000 a day at was the testing carried out in the last 14 loss of taste or smell, with or without people who in the 14 days before illness the beginning of the flu season but days, or during the incubation period (the fever — should contact their GP or — Mr Hipkins said the pendulum had time between exposure to the virus and Healthline to discuss this. ■ have had contact with a confirmed or since swung too far the other way, with symptom onset).