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Over $24,000 was raised from last weekend’s CHB Lions Bookarama. The annual event was held at the CHB Municipal Theatre in Waipawa from Friday to Sunday. A spokesperson said the amount raised was an excellent result for the community, and that planning for next year is already underway. Lions thanked the Ruahine Cadet Unit, who provided extra manpower to help load books in on Thursday and help with the pack down on Sunday.An attraction set-up for children over the school holidays has had to be...

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A planned upgrade to the Norsewood water treatment plant is to get underway this month. Essential equipment has arrived ready for installation, with the upgrade aimed at enhancing water quality. Norsewood residents have voiced concerns about water discolouration and sedimentation, with water sampling being carried out twice a week. A specialised iron and manganese filter, and an additional 30,000- litre tank to supplement the existing 90,000-litre tank will be installed as part of the upgrade. T...

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Two women will appear in Court on drugs charges next month after search warrants were executed in Central Hawke’s Bay last week. CHB Police together with staff from Hawkes Bay executed warrants at a number of local addresses on Wednesday. Sergeant Neil Baker says in total, five warrants were executed which saw a large quantity of cannabis and cash located. He says the warrants were the result of several month’s work into drug supply in CHB. Mr Baker says a 34-year-old female was arrested and...

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A man is in a critical condition following a serious assault in Waipukurau on Wednesday night. Detective Senior Sergeant Sally Patrick said Police received multiple calls around 11:35pm reporting an altercation between a man and a group of youths in the middle of the intersection of Russell and Herbert Streets. She said the man was assaulted, and possibly hit with a scooter, before the youths left the area. Ambulance staff treated the man on scene, and he was taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with...

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A woman reported missing from the Whakatu area on Sunday has been located safe and well. Police had concerns for Jessica Kim, who was seen getting into a ute at Te Ara Kahikatea, with a spokesperson saying she looked "distressed". The 26-year-old was located "safely in Central Hawke's Bay" according to a statement. Police thanked the public for their concern.Central Hawke’s Bay Police say they are extremely concerned with the behaviours of several locals who are putting themselves and other mo...

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Five youths have been taken into custody following a stolen vehicle incident last weekend. Senior Sergeant Craig Vining said at about 11.30am on Sunday, Police located a stolen vehicle travelling in Otane. He said units were quickly able to spike the blue Toyota Aqua hatchback at the intersection of Higginson Street and State Highway 2. The vehicle was then monitored as it travelled south through to Waipawa and then into Waipukurau. Mr Vining said due to the vehicle driving at excessive speed, P...

Work to create a safer, better-connected Waipawa main street starts Monday 22 April

Work to deliver on the community’s vision for Waipawa’s main street is scheduled to start next week, from Monday 22 April, with Tūpore Infrastructure starting construction of the revised trial traffic interventions that night.The Streets for People project, which is 90 percent funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Council’s 10 percent contributing to officer time, resumes next week with revised designs to introduce trial solutions to help create safer and more people-friendly stre...

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The RSA is angered after the War Memorial at Hatuma was vandalised on Friday night. Peter Jackson, the RSA’s District President for Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay and East Coast said the local community was upset by the damage. He called the damage a “senseless act of vandalism”. Jackson said although a plan was already being put in place, it wouldn’t be possible to repair the damage before Anzac Day. He said the damaged plaque will remain in place to ensure those from the District who served ...

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Fire & Emergency NZ has moved Central Hawke’s Bay and eastern parts of Tararua District back to a Restricted Fire Season status. The move from Prohibited to Restricted was made yesterday. Anyone wanting to light a fire in the open air will need a permit, with applications able to be made on the website checkitsalright.nz. Hastings and Napier, along with the Hawke’s Bay Coast area have also moved back to a restricted season. Rates in CHB will go up nearly 50% over the next three years if ...

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Businesses and individuals interested in holding an event as part of the years Spring Fling can apply now. The Spring Fling is held from September to October, with registrations for 2024 due in by the 26th of April. Full details on how to apply are available on the website www.thespringfling.nz. Pongaroa farmer David Buick’s incredible comeback from an accident that left him critically injured nearly three years ago has continued with a win in the New Zealand Shearing Champs open shearing fina...

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Dannevirke woman Adele Small has been officially welcomed as the new Chief Executive for the Maungaharuru-Tangitu Trust. Adele, who had been the Group Manager Strategy and Wellbeing for Tararua District Council, was welcomed into her new role at Pukemokimoki Marae this week. She was supported by Kahungunu whanau at her welcoming, with Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated Chair Chrissie Hape saying Adele was instrumental in supporting whanau during the Covid lockdown. Ms Hape congratulated the Maunga...

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More than 100 competitors will take part in a major shearing event in Central Hawke’s Bay today.The Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears is a brand new event being held at the CHB A & P Showgrounds.Organiser and top NZ shearer Johnny Kirkpatrick says check-in for the woolhandling is from 7am, with the competition underway from 7.30.The shearing competition will be underway from 11am.Johnny Kirkpatrick says they had talked about holding the autumn shears last year but didn’t have a pavilion to use...

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The Centralines Indoor Pool Complex re-opened this week following a 17-week maintenance shutdown. Initially plans were to have the pool closed for about 14 weeks. Kelly Millar, Chair of the Central Hawke’s Bay District Community Trust which owns the complex, said the heating and ventilation systems, and ceiling tiles, all needed replacing in the near 30-year-old facility. Some of the work involved was to bring the building up to the current building code. Kelly said the work all went as planne...

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The final of the Stevenson & Taylor sponsored T20 Cricket competition was played last Sunday. The final was between Wallingford and Waipawa, with Wallingford sent in to bat first, finishing on 140/8 off their 20 overs. James Mackie top scored for the side with 30, with Waipawa’s Kade Wynn taking two wickets for only eight runs. In reply, Waipawa started quickly – running up 50 runs in the first five overs, reaching their target in the 19th over with five wickets to spare. Ryan Kohelis to...

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The Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee says it fully accepts all of the findings of the Independent Review into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle. The review was released yesterday by former Police Commissioner Mike Bush and found the cyclone “overwhelmed officials” tasked with disaster response. More than 70 recommendations have been made by the review team. The Joint Committee confirmed its commitment to an overhaul of the region’s approach to emergenc...

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Firefighters from the Waipukurau and Tamatea brigades spent about three hours fighting a grass fire on Saturday. Firefighters were called around 9am to the fire on Porangahau Road. Fire & Emergency NZ said the fire covered an area approximately 35 metres by 30 metres.One person died in a quad bike accident on a rural property at Crownthorpe near Hastings on Saturday. A statement from Police said the incident happened around 2.30 Saturday afternoon, and that one person sadly died at the scene...

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The grand final of the Stevenson & Taylor T20 Country Cricket Competition is being played this Sunday. The match will be played at Forest Gate Domain at OngaOnga between Wallingford and Waipawa, with first ball at 1pm. Spokesperson Mark Boderick says the public are welcome to watch the action on Sunday afternoon.After beating them by six wickets in the final round robin game last week, the Waipawa Butchery CHB Premier Cricket team will once again face Cornwall this weekend. It is semi-finals...

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The final Surfing for Farmers for the season is being held today. Fine weather is forecast for this afternoon with Porangahau Beach the venue at 4pm. Organiser Andy Lee says this season has been better than last year – with no cancellations. He says they’ve had consistent numbers to this season’s events, and it’s been good to see some new faces. As Surfing for Farmers is run solely by sponsorship, Andy says support from local businesses and organisations once again has helped with purcha...

Government Cracks Down on Underage Vaping, Increases Maximum Fine for Retailers

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced a significant crackdown on underage vaping, including an increase in the maximum fine for retailers caught selling vapes to minors. The current fine of $10,000 will be raised to $100,000 in an effort to deter retailers from selling vaping products to those under 18.In addition to the fine increase, Luxon revealed that disposable vapes will be banned outright due to their affordability and accessibility, especially for minors. Luxon expressed concern...

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Tararua District Council is asking people who see others dumping rubbish on the sides of roads to report it. Last year the Council spent upwards of $40,000 on removing illegally dumped rubbish from roadsides. A Council spokesperson says the number of instances is increasing and is unacceptable. Anyone who sees such behaviour can contact Police on 105 or the Council via phone or the Antenno app. Last year the Council also spent around $30,000 on removing 71 abandoned vehicles in the district. Lin...

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State Highway 2 was closed yesterday following a crash between two trucks at Poukawa. The crash, between Te Mahanga and Horonui Roads, was reported just before 12.30pm.Diversions were put in place while the scene was cleared, with the Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team advised of the accident. One person received minor injuries and was assessed by ambulance staff. The highway was reopened just before 5pm. Tararua Police say with driving conditions becoming more challenging due to wet roads a...

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A Givealittle page has been setup for a Dannevirke teen severely injured in a recent motorbike accident. 16-year-old Travis de Visser was flown to Christchurch Hospital following the accident on Saturday March 9th at the Taikorea motocross park – the day Travis was celebrating his 16th birthday. Along with breaking his back in three places, Travis also had internal bleeding and a punctured lung. The Givealittle page, which has so far raised just over $14,000, says Travis has a long road ahead ...

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Local cyclist Reagan Gough has announced his retirement from the sport. The 27-year-old, who won a teams pursuit World Championship gold medal in 2015, called time on his career on Wednesday. The two-time Olympian, who now lives in Cambridge, also won silver medals at the World Champs ion 2017 and 2020. A broken foot last November prompted his decision to retire.Thousands of people attended yesterday’s opening day of the Central Districts Field Days in Feilding. Mild weather conditions greeted...

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Additional tickets have been made available for tomorrow night’s talk on anti-violence. Matt Brown’s ‘She is not your Rehab’ is at the Civic Theatre in Waipukurau. The first lot of tickets sold-out on Monday, and organisers have made a limited number of extra tickets available. Tickets cost $5 and are available through Eventfinda.Following feedback from landowners unaware that they are still responsible for possum control on their properties, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is reminding o...

Free car seat recycling scheme starts in Central Hawke's Bay

Central Hawke’s Bay residents can now recycle their unwanted child carseats for free by dropping them off at one of three locations across the district. This comes after a successful pilot in September last year, which saw 47 carseats collected during the month-long event.  Sixteen of these seats were safety-checked and then donated to other families and 23 were able to be recycled. The programme, which is a joint initiative between the Safer CHB Road Safety network and Central ...