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Central Hawke’s Bays Mayor says the way the district is responding to last weekend’s devastating fire which destroyed Waipawa’s Four Square speaks to the strength of our community and our spirit of service. Shortly after the blaze broke out, the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council had staff on site to provide support. In the days following, a number of businesses in Waipawa have increased stock lines, a temporary pedestrian crossing has been created along the towns main street, and free...

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Waipawa Four Square owner Rachel Williams says the “incredible support” her and husband Graeme are receiving following Sunday’s devastating fire at the store is making “coping so much easier”. She says parent company Foodstuffs have been supportive, and she thanked them, their insurance brokers and everyone for their well wishes since the fire. The cause of the fire remains unknown but is not being treated as suspicious. Hawke’s Bay Assistant Area Fire Commander Glen Vercoe said a sp...

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Central Hawke’s Bay Police are reminding vehicle owners to lock their vehicles and keep valuables in them out of sight. Constable Hanna Brockbank Smith says there has been a spate of thefts from vehicles over the past week, with places like sports grounds and car parks hot areas for thefts. Constable Brockbank-Smith is also asking people who notice suspicious activity, especially youths hanging around and looking into a vehicle, to call 111 straight away. She says Police are getting a lot of w...

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Two Waipawa businesses – Four Square and Lulu & Max childcare - were destroyed by an early morning fire yesterday. Emergency services were called just before 4.30am to the fire on High Street, with the fire fully extinguished just before 8am. Fire & Emergency NZ say it is too early to tell what caused the fire, but a Fire Investigator will be looking into the blaze. Two firefighters were injured while fighting the fire – with one of them taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with moderate injuries...

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Central Hawke’s Bay College has so far raised over $8000 from its annual Work Day earlier this month. Principal Lance Christiansen said the money raised will be spent directly on the students. He said the experiences of Work Day have, for many, helped them think about their future options and pathways. Money is still being counted, and Mr Christiansen thanked all members of the school and wider CHB community for their support of students during Work Day.  -----Submissions will open t...

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Local cyclist Regan Gough will have his hair shaved for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. The Tokyo Olympics bound Gough will join fellow New Zealand team members Callum Saunders and Campbell Stewart for the Shave-For-A-Cure event tonight. The shave will take place at Avantidrome in Cambridge. So far the “Trim For Tokyo” team has raised over $8600, with Regan leading the fundraising at more than three and a half thousand dollars. Regan says his natural-highlighted locks have been growing...

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The Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce will hold a Post Budget Q & A session with Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty tomorrow. The event is being held at The Hub in Dannevirke from 11.30 tomorrow morning. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact the Chamber of Commerce by midday today.------Central Hawke’s Bays District Plan will hit a significant milestone this week. Tomorrow a decision on notifying the Proposed District Plan for public submissions will be made by Council. Council chief executive ...

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An information session will be held in Dannevirke today for the latest on construction of the new Manawatu – Tararua Highway. Officials from the New Zealand Transport Agency will be on hand to give the community an update on progress on Te Ahu a Turanga. Members of the public will be able to view drone footage, chat to the design and construction team, as well as test-drive the new 11.5km highway with a simulator. The information session is also a chance to talk about training and employment o...

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A man reported missing in Central Hawke’s Bay yesterday was found safe and well. Police had issued an appeal for sightings of the 37-year  old, with concerns for his wellbeing. He was believed to have been living in a silver 2003 Volkswagen Golf. The man was located around 3pm. ----- More than $8000 was raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation at a fundraising auction at The Leopard Hotel in Waipukurau on Saturday. The hotel was packed for the auction – with many dressing up in pink for ...

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Horizons Regional Council will join the Hawke’s Bay Regional and Tararua District Councils’ in establishing Maori constituencies in time for the 2022 local government elections. Horizons Chair Rachel Keedwell acknowledged a petition delivered to Council and says it was an honour to host a large contingency of Māori at Regional House this week. A survey on Maori constituencies saw 1649 responses, with 1,475 supporting the establishment of Māori constituencies, with 152 opposed. Ms Keedwell ...

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NZTA will hold information sessions in Tararua to update progress on the Te Ahu A Turanga : Manawatu to Tararua Highway. Today’s session is at the Woodville Sports Stadium from 5 to 7pm, followed by the Dannevirke Sports Centre next Tuesday between 5 and 7pm. NZTA says the sessions are an opportunity to see the latest drone footage of highway construction, and to chat with members of the team. -----The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has voted unanimously to establish Māori constituencies...

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Roads were blocked, fences and roofs were damaged, and emergency service crews were run off their feet yesterday as strong winds hit Central Hawke’s Bay and Tararua. A Strong Wind Warning, advising of wind gusts up to 130km/hr, was issued for both districts yesterday – with the Metservice recording gusts of 133km/hr along the Takapau Plains about midday. Go Bus cancelled all school buses yesterday afternoon due to safety, and SH2 was closed around 11.15am for a time after powerlines were bro...

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There is a Strong Wind Warning in place for Central Hawke’s Bay and Tararua today. Metservice is forecasting west to northwest gales up to 130 km/hr or more in exposed areas of the Tararua District and areas of Hawke’s Bay south of Hastings. Strong, gale force winds, are also expected along State Highway 5 – the Napier-Taupo Road today. The strongest winds are expected to last until nine tonight, with the Metservice saying the winds could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures,...

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A woman died as the result of a single-vehicle crash in Central Hawke’s Bay on Friday. Emergency services were called to the crash on Elsthorpe Rd about 3.20pm after a car crashed into a ditch. Initial reports said one person had sustained serious injuries, while another had moderate injuries. Police said the woman died in hospital on Saturday as the result of her injuries. The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was also called to the scene. Police are investigating the cause of the crash. ---...

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Police have seized approximately $2 million in assets and arrested six people following an operation into organised crime in the region. Over the past three days, Eastern District Police, backed up by the National Organised Crime Group have executed several search warrants targeting senior members of the Mongrel Mob across Hawke’s Bay. Detective Inspector Rob Jones said the warrants were the result of an 18-month investigation, dubbed “operation Dusk”.Additional search warrants executed ta...

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Two people were taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital after a car rolled near Norsewood on Tuesday night. The single vehicle crash happened around 6.30pm pm State Highway 2. A man in his 40’s, and a woman in her 50’s, who both suffered moderate injuries in the accident, are now in a stable condition.-----Central Hawke’s Bay District Councillors will meet today to deliberate over the Councils’ draft Long Term Plan. At the meeting, Councillors will receive reports outlining options and recommend...

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Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s Emergency Department saw a record 188 presentations on Monday. The number of presentations saw some elective surgery postponed yesterday. Chief Medical and Dental officer Robin Whyman said the hospital was experiencing very high demand with the majority of presentations being serious medical conditions, mostly in people over 50, who needed hospital admission and care. Head of the Emergency Department Mark Barlow said the unprecedented  demand may be a predictor fo...

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A motorcyclist was flown to Hawke’s Bay Regional Hospital on Friday morning following an accident. Emergency services were responded to the crash just after 9am on Elsthorpe Road between St Lawrence Road and Atua Road. The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was also called to the scene.-----Part of State Highway 50 was closed on Friday following a scrub fire near Ashley Clinton. Fire & Emergency NZ was called around 1.15pm after the permitted burn-off got out of control due to a change of wind...

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The Department of Conservation has reopened Sunrise Hut to the public following repair work. Last year the Hut had a fireplace and heat transfer system installed, with interior painting also done. An exterior paint job followed, allowing Sunrise Hut to re-open. Work on the tracks leading to the Hut were also repaired. Department of Conservation Manawatu supervisor Shaun Ruddle said the roof is also due to be painted. Sunrise Hut opened in 1983. ----- The first sod will be turned tomorrow for a c...

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A new Digital Business Hub in Central Hawke’s Bay will open in late July. The Central Hawke’s Bay District Council says the local community will shortly be able to plug in to a host of new library, educational, community and digital services. Funding from the Provincial Growth Fund is helping to build the new Hub, which will be located in what is known as the “old Buck’s building” on Bogle Bros Esplanade in Waipukurau. Works are anticipated to commence early next month, and w...

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A Whanganui man has been named as the victim of a fatal motor vehicle accident near Dannevirke last week. The crash, on State Highway 2, happened early morning last Wednesday. Police yesterday named the victim as 24-year-old Hamish Cameron of Whanganui. Police say their investigation into the single vehicle crash is ongoing, and that their thoughts are with Mr Cameron’s family and friends.-----Firefighters from around the region were in Waipukurau over the weekend for a training...

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This years CHB Swim 4 Lives Swim-a-thon raised close to $5000. Held last month, the amount raised this year has seen the CHB Swim-4-Lives group able to provide $34,000 worth of support to help all local primary school children learn to swim. The money has paid for 43 round bus trips enabling 1599 rural school children to participate in Deep Water Safety Sessions, and has subsidised 945 urban children to access instructors support and deep water sessions. Nearly 230 children have received further...

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The duck shooting season kicks-off for 2021 tomorrow. In Hawke’s Bay, the season will run until the 13th of June, with a daily bag limit of eight for Mallard and Grey Duck, and a daily limit of eight for Paradise Shellduck. For those hunting in the boundaries of the Tararua District, the season will run until June 27th, with a daily bag limit of ten for Mallard, Grey Duck and Paradise Shellduck. Meanwhile with opening weekend, Police are reminding hunters of the Seven Basic Firearms Safety Rul...

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The Police Serious Crash Unit is investigating a fatal crash near Dannevirke early Wednesday. Emergency services were called to the single vehicle crash on State Highway 2 near the intersection with Otanga Road just after 5.30am. The highway was closed to all traffic for about an hour, before being reduced to one lane under stop/go until about 11.15am, when all lanes were re-opened.-----A Porangahau man has been found guilty on three charges following the death of his infant daughter. Seven-mont...

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Nearly $19 million worth of building consents have been issued in the Tararua District in the current financial year. The high level of demand has seen the Tararua District Council out-source some of its consents processing to a contractor. In February this year the value of consents was $3.5 million, with a year to date total of $18,986,390.00. Council spokesperson Russell Palmer says demand on the Building Team is greater than ever. ----- The Government has introduced a new module to assist fa...