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A windy day is on the way with a Strong Wind Warning in place for Tararua District, and Strong Wind Watch for Hawke’s Bay.The warning for Tararua covers the period from 9am to 6pm today, with forecasters saying severe northwest gales could reach 120km/hr at times.The watch for Hawke’s Bay covers the area south of about Hastings and came into effect at 9 o’clock last night.Strong winds are expected until about 6 o’clock tonight.-----------------Central Hawke’s Bay and Dannevirke shared ...

Local News

A good win for Central Hawke’s Bay over Wairoa on Day 2 of the 2023 Ross Shield Tournament.The game between the two was the first of the day yesterday and saw CHB hold a 19-nil lead at half time with Central adding another ten points in the second half to take the win 29-7.Lockie Singer scored two tries and kicked two conversions for CHB, with the teams other tries scored by Blaze Parker, Ben Mackie and Kingi George.The win means CHB will hold the Tino Amato Trophy for the next 12 months.Other...

Local News

The 2023 Ross Shield Tournament kicked-off yesterday.CHB had the opening game of the tournament against current Shield holders Napier.Napier used the wind well in the first half of the game and held a 40-nil lead at the break and were able to add another 31 points in the second half, to win 71-nil.In the second game, Hastings West beat Wairoa 31-5.Game three was between Dannevirke and Hastings East, with Easts holding a 14-5 lead at halftime.Final score – Hastings East 35, Dannevirke 5.Day Two...

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Candidates for the Wairarapa and Tukituki Electorates for the upcoming General Election will attend a Meet the Candidates Evening in Waipukurau tonight.For Tukituki – which has the highest number of candidates in the country standing – Labour’s, and incumbent MP, Anna Lorck will be joined by National’s Catherine Wedd and the ACT Party’s Rob Douglas.Current MP - Labour’s Kieran McAnulty - and National candidate Mike Butterick, who are both standing for the Wairarapa Electorate, will a...

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The Prime Minister has announced $2.5 million in funding to replace and upgrade the stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant.Chris Hipkins made a series of announcements in the region and visited the treatment plant yesterday afternoon.Wairarapa MP and Government Minister Kieran McAnulty, who accompanied the Prime Minister, said the original stopbank was destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle.McAnulty said it has been his role as the Hawke’s Bay Regional lead recovery Minister to...

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Firefighters spent a number of hours fighting a grass fire near Otane yesterday.Fire and Emergency NZ were alerted just before midday, sending appliances and tankers from Otane, Tamatea Rural, Waipukurau, Tikokino, Elsthorpe, Hastings and Napier.A helicopter was also used in fighting the blaze.Fire and Emergency said there were no road closures as a result of the fire.-------------------The Tararua District Council says water conservation on Pahiatua remains of the utmost importance.There have b...

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PowerCo says powerlines which have come down in a “challenging section of forestry block” is making reconnection work in Pongaroa and Akitio particularly difficult.Strong winds saw power cut to many homes earlier this week, and while most areas had supply restored fairly quickly, 188 customers in Pongaroa and Akitio are still without power this morning.A PowerCo spokesperson said yesterday afternoon that crews were waiting for a window of clear weather so a helicopter could be deployed to as...

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A man is in a critical condition in Hawke’s Bay Hospital following an incident in Takapau yesterday.Police and St John Ambulance were called after a man received stab wounds.Detective Senior Sergeant James Keene said a group of people, who were known to each other, were at an address in Charlotte Street at around 5pm when an altercation has taken place.He said a man suffered multiple stab wounds as a result.Mr Keene said the victim has managed to get himself across the road where he lost consc...

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The rider of a dirt-bike was flown to Hawke’s Bay Regional Hospital following an accident on Pourerere Beach Road on Saturday.Emergency services were called about 12.30pm.The rider was said to have moderate injuries and was reported to be undergoing surgery on his foot yesterday.---------------One person died in a single vehicle crash in Hastings on Saturday.Police said the accident happened on Pakowhai Road around 7.30 Saturday night.A spokesperson said a car hit a power pole, with one person...

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The Tararua District Council says the treated water supply at Pahiatua remains vulnerable – despite progress being made with repairs.Water conservation has been called for since early this week, including the Council implementing a total outdoor water use ban.In an update yesterday, the Council said progress had been made, with the focus now on replenishing the reservoir, which remains critically low.A spokesperson said if the plant requires a total shutdown, the town only has a day and a half...

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A million dollars will go towards helping farmers and growers in Tararua District with urgent maintenance and resilience works from Cyclone Gabrielle and other weather events.The money will come from a $35.4 million from the Ministry for Primary Industries.An earlier report identified nearly $8 million worth of damage across farms in the district, with insurance covering less than 5% of the total cost.Farmers will be able to apply for reimbursement of costs for uninsured critical repairs already...

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Fire crews from Dannevirke, Norsewood, Weber, and the Tamatea Rural Fire Force were called to a vegetation fire at Weber yesterday.Fire and Emergency received a call around 12.30pm, with firefighters on-site for a number of hours.Later in the day, Fire and Emergency NZ incident reports show crews from Norsewood, Dannevirke, Tamatea, Te Uri, and Weber were called to a fire at Te Uri.The call came in just before 5.30pm.-----------------Pahiatua could run out of treated water in about a week follow...

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Recreational fishers are reminded that the daily bag limits for Paua will change from today.Earlier this year, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Rachel Brooking, announced that the bag limit for both blackfoot and yellowfoot paua would reduce from 10 to 5 of each species per fisher, per day.The new limits cover the PAU 2 paua fishery area, which includes Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.In making the announcement, the Minister said the new limit is a precautionary measure so that pāua can be enjoye...

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Dannevirke High School have won the B Grade section of the Lower North Island Secondary School Netball Tournament.The tournament was held at the Akau Tangi Sports Centre in Wellington.Dannevirke High played St Matthews Collegiate from Masterton in the final, winning 36-26.---------------The Central Hawke’s Bay Spring Fling gets underway this weekend.The annual festival has grown significantly this year and includes 20 events over the months of September and October.The Spring Market kicks thin...

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Horizons Regional Council is inviting feedback on priority areas for the council’s work over the next 10 years. Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell says this is pre-engagement ahead of the 2024-34 Long-term Plan that will be formally consulted on early next year. The Council has three priority areas - building resilience to the impacts of climate change, taking a holistic approach to natural resources from mountains to sea, and strengthening relationships with tangata whenua. Rachel Keedwell says...

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Only a handful of spaces remain for the ‘Back on Track Bingo Night’ at Pongaroa this Friday night.Comedian Te Radar will host the event at the Pongaroa Hall as part of his visits to cyclone affected communities.Prior to this he will spend time with roading teams at Tararua Alliance and meet the community at Herbertville.Mayor Tracey Collis said she is pleased to be welcoming such an iconic personality to the district and is looking forward to showing him the incredible resilience of our comm...

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Strong winds are expected for Hawke’s Bay tonight and tomorrow.Winds are forecast to gust to rise to gale force, gutsing to 100km/hr, from this evening.In its Severe Weather Outlook, the Metservice says there is a low confidence that southerly winds will reach severe gale for the region, with coastal areas expected to get the strongest winds.-----------------One of the highlights on the Spring Fling calendar in Central Hawke’s Bay has delayed its opening for the season.Taniwha Daffodils was ...

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Making the Hawke’s Bay Expressway four lanes has been welcomed by the regions MP’s.Yesterday the Government announced a $20b draft Policy Statement on Land Transport to boost road maintenance, public transport, and cycleway maintenance for the next three years.Part of the package is money to four-lane State Highway 2 between Napier and Hastings, as well as investment in building resilience along the expressway by upgrading bridges and intersections.Tukituki MP Anna Lorck and Napier MP Stuart...

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The finalists have been named for the 2023 Central Hawke’s Bay Sport and Recreation Awards.The winners from the eight categories will be announced on Friday the 8th of September.The Supreme Winner – which is chosen from the winners of the Junior, Senior, and Team categories – will also be announced on the night.The finalists in the Senior Sportsperson Category are Angus Schaw for cricket; Hayley McKay for Rugby; and Tyler Turfrey for squash.The Junior finalists are Aimee Thomsen for motorc...

Review: The Heartbreak Choir

The Waipukurau Little Theatre's amateur production of the screenplay "The Heartbreak Choir," written by Aiden Fennessey and directed by Lindsey Bishop, delivers a powerful and thought-provoking performance that lingers long after the curtain falls.“The Heartbreak Choir" doesn't shy away from addressing mature and challenging themes, including references to abuse and suicide. This production takes on these difficult topics with a sensitive touch, aiming to bring them out of the shadows and into...

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Balloons adorn the Waipukurau Bridge this morning as the toddler who died in an incident at a Mt Herbert Road property last week is laid to rest.A service to celebrate the life of three-year-old Saige Karaitiana-Wiki is being held at Stonehaven in Waipukurau at 1pm today.A whanau post on Facebook said Saigey Girl was “sassy, mischief and cheeky, and loved her Mama, Papa, and big brothers more than all the snowflakes that have ever fallen”.The whanau gave a huge thank you to the community for...

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Police are offering support to the family of a child that died at a property in Waipukurau yesterday.Sergeant Neil Baker said they were “called to an incident involving a vehicle at a residential property on Mt Herbert Road shortly after 7:45am”.He said a child was located in a critical condition and CPR was commenced.Mr Baker said sadly, one person died at the scene.Police were still at the scene early yesterday afternoon, and an investigation has begun into the circumstances of what happen...

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There will be no whitebait season in Hawke’s Bay this year.A rāhui put in place by Mana Ahuriri following Cyclone Gabrielle is to remain for the 2023 season, which was due to start on September 1st.The Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust has also placed a rāhui from Napier to southern Hawke’s Bay.Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, the Department of Conservation and the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have all supported the move.The Regional Council said in an online notice that it would not ...

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Power was out to parts of the Takapau area for much of yesterday after high winds brought down powerlines.Power was out from just after 3am yesterday after lines were downed on the Takapau-Ormondville Road and on Oruawharo Road.Centralines crews worked on repairing the lines throughout the day, with power fully restored in the area just before 5pm.-----------------Dannevirke’s Bake House has picked up two highly commended gongs at the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards for 2023.The results were announc...

Local News

A truck driver was taken to Palmerston Norh Hospital in critical condition yesterday following an accident that left the Saddle Road closed for a large part of the day.Emergency services were called at 6.30am to the accident which happened at the Woodville end of the Saddle.Police said the truck was the only vehicle involved, with the road reopening just after midday.Later in the morning emergency services were called to another crash in Tararua District.Around 9am a train hit a ute on Kakahukur...