Latest news with #GisborneHerald
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Budget 2025: Gisborne leaders share their thoughts on hits and misses for the region
Some in Gisborne have welcomed Budget funding for cyclone-damaged roads and a 20% tax/depreciation incentive on business assets, which could create jobs. Others criticised a lack of investment in critical areas, such as housing and Gisborne Hospital, while subsidising the fossil fuel industry. The Gisborne Herald approached some leaders in
NZ Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Kylee De Thier shares bullying story as Pink Shirt Day ambassador
The role of ambassador involves sharing the Pink Shirt Day story, telling his own story. 'I think these anti-bullying programmes are effective when they get the right spokespeople and when it's more personal,' he says. His podcast is honest and unfiltered, and talks about his experiences at Gisborne Boys' High School. He criticises a programme he went through called Tu Tane aimed at developing 'good men', which he found 'misogynistic and stereotypical'. He talks about a Year 10 camp being particularly difficult, a low point of his bullying journey. De Thier said instead of 'teaching boys to become men', they could have taught them about things such as 'emotional intelligence', 'how to treat and respect women', 'sexuality and its many forms'. Gisborne Boys' High School principal Tom Cairns told the Gisborne Herald the Tu Tane programme was a framework designed for boys to be comfortable being who they wanted to be, and he was sorry to hear of De Thier's experience. Cairns said the school took bullying seriously and started every year with anti-bullying lessons in the junior school. They were marking Pink Shirt Day on Friday and had discussed the issue of respect at Monday's assembly this week. 'Respect means making space for people to be who they are – without fear, without judgment," assistant principal Maria Jefferson told the school's assembly. ' He waka eke noa" – we are all in this canoe together. 'That means we all belong here. We move forward together. No one gets left behind. 'We all want to be respected. So let's start by giving it. Be the kind of men who look after each other, not tear each other down.' De Thier said that when he was filming Self Titled and fleshing out his memories, he realised how bad the bullying had been. 'I had faced it since I was 5 years old. It's been my whole life – I haven't ever known anything else.' He said his bullying took various forms, from being physically punched by a fellow student at primary school to verbal abuse, which continued into his high school years. It was commonplace for him to be mocked and made fun of and excluded, so much so that he dreaded going to school, he said. As a child experiencing bullying daily, he felt isolated and alone. He started making content from a young age and found a community online. 'Because when I had no upstanders – no one to defend me – I had become my own upstander. 'Now I stand in pride and confidence. The reason I'm so hyper-independent is because the only other option was to crumble and fail. I still have trust issues,' he says. With 450,000 followers on TikTok and 220,000 on Instagram, De Thier is now living his best life. He got his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and now works as a creative producer and marketing director for social media agency No Sad Cowboys. 'We manage social media personalities – TikTokers, Instagrammers and Twitch live-streamers,' he explains. The role of a social media agency is to protect and promote the talent, do their admin and connect them with brands. Things took off for De Thier in 2021 when his TikTok following grew substantially in just one week. In 2023, he landed a brand deal with L'Oreal and went to Paris to work with La Roche-Posay (a L'Oreal skincare brand). With his profile rising, social media agency Born Bred Talent approached him and went on to represent him before he moved to his current role. 'The main goal is to help kids like me in Gisborne and smaller towns because I was the only one like me growing up, but I knew there were other kids like me who didn't have the parents I had or the confidence I had to put themselves out there. 'As long as I'm helping one person, I'm happy. I don't really lean into the numbers or care about the money too much.'
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Outrage as Gisborne Cenotaph defaced with red paint
As well as the paint on the lions, red paint droplets and paint splashes have been left on the tiles around the Cenotaph surrounds. Police were notified on Tuesday morning and reported the attack to the Gisborne District Council. Recreational Services contractors immediately sent out staff to try to remove the paint. The Gisborne Herald understands the job proved difficult, as the lions are made of marble. The Cenotaph, a heritage site, had only recently been extensively refurbished before one of the biggest Anzac Day dawn services for years. Returned and Services Association president Trevor Jukes said the graffiti attack was an 'absolute disgrace'. 'It denigrates the ancestors of the people who did it,' Jukes said. 'Desecrating a memorial like that is desecrating their parents, their grandparents and extended whānau into infinity. 'When they meet their maker, the people they have offended will be waiting for them, and by crikey, they will deal to them,' he said. 'They have brought their family name into absolute disgrace.' The district council labelled it 'disgraceful' vandalism on its Facebook page. The post quoted Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz saying it was 'extremely disappointing'. 'It's disgraceful to see this. We expect better for and from our community. It's a shame the behaviour of a few impact so many.' The post went on to thank those who reported the damage and 'we encourage you to continue to call out and report vandalism when you see it'. Members of the public spoken to by the Gisborne Herald on Tuesday expressed similar sentiments. 'The people who did this really are the lowest of the low,' one man said. 'Not a good look for Gisborne is it,' another said. 'How could someone even think to do that. It's like an attack on the community, and the memory of the veterans remembered on the monument.' Police are asking for information about the attack.
NZ Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
VE Day in Gisborne: Criticism over postponed celebrations due to Churchill's timing
Bull said Acting Prime Minister Walter Nash had informed him by telegraph that victory celebrations could not be staged before Churchill made his official announcement. 'I think council members agree that spontaneous celebrations would have been preferable upon the announcement of peace, but what could be done other than to follow the lead given by the acting Prime Minister Walter Nash,' said Bull. 'Victory celebrations could hardly be held before the actual announcement had been officially made by the man who had carried Britain through the war, Mr Churchill.' Alterations had to be made to existing arrangements, said the mayor. The Gisborne Herald reported that public servants in Wellington had staged spontaneous celebrations (on May 8), immediately celebrating the end of the European war. They created a paper storm over Lambton Quay, ripping up records and throwing them out of the windows. At the Civic Theatre on Auckland's Queen St, the manager stopped the film and announced the European war was over. Moviegoers poured on to the streets to join thousands of other Aucklanders who had heard the news of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Nash announced that he would speak to the nation at 1am (May 9) immediately after Churchill made his broadcast in London announcing the end of the war in Europe. A national ceremony would be held in Wellington at noon, with other commemorations around New Zealand not beginning before 1pm. Bells and sirens would be sounded at 7am on May 9, with that day and May 10 (Wednesday and Thursday) being public holidays, announced Nash. Gisborne's official celebrations were held at 1pm as mandated by Nash, with the mayor and other dignitaries speaking in Peel Street from a platform. The Salvation Army, the City Band, the Gisborne Pipe and Drum Band and the Home Guard Band played before and after the ceremony and 'marched in the business area playing suitable airs and patriotic songs,' reported the Gisborne Herald. Bull, in his speech, characterised the day as one of rejoicing tempered by the knowledge that the German surrender did not mean the end of the war. Advertise with NZME. Gisborne RSA president R.F. Gambrill said he hoped the mistakes of the 1920s to 1930s would not be repeated, and that they would not lead to another world war. Gisborne MP Billy Coleman said the 'democratic nations had crushed again the most dangerous enemy to peace.' He prayed that the enemy might never rise again. The Gisborne Herald reported that bars were closed on the afternoon of May 9 while bakers announced no bread would be baked or delivered that day. Picture theatres remained open across the nation with the government's permission. In an article with the subheadline 'Frustrated Celebrants', the Gisborne Herald of May 10 reported on other celebrations being of a muted nature. There was a bonfire on Kaiti Hill with limited materials last evening. 'VE Day celebrations in Gisborne were restricted mainly to private parties and attendance at the pictures.' The crowd who attended the official 1pm event 'were in a mood to make the day a bright patch in a dull season; but the facilities were not available, and no lead appeared to be forthcoming. 'The general feeling was that 'Gisborne had not lived up to its reputation as a town with initiative'. An open-air religious service was held on Sunday, May 13.
NZ Herald
07-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Tairāwhiti faces measles risk with low immunisation rates
Tairāwhiti ranked 17th out of the 20 health districts in the country. Only four regions—Canterbury, Southern, West Coast, and Capital & Coast — have reached the 84% 'milestone' figure set for the 2024–2025 period. Health experts also warn that many adults born between 1969 and 2004 may not be fully protected with the full two-dose measles vaccination, now the recommended dosage. A Tairāwhiti senior doctor, who asked not to be named, told the Gisborne Herald that health services in the region were already under pressure. 'So how would we manage the additional demand from a large measles outbreak?' he said. 'Prevention is key. Contact tracing will only be important initially to stop the spread. Vaccination will be more important to limit the extent of an outbreak.' The doctor said a desktop exercise with education and health partners on March 28 had been conducted to prepare for the spread of measles and increase local capacity for contact tracing and vaccination. A Tairāwhiti nurse, who also asked not to be identified, told the Gisborne Herald that children could potentially die because of low immunisation rates. It was a nationwide issue and small children were the most at risk of serious diseases, she said. 'The importance of vaccination needs to be stressed.' Acting clinical director, protection, National Public Health Service, Dr Matt Reid, in a statement, said there was much concern about a potential measles outbreak in NZ, given the rapid rise of measles cases overseas and low immunisation rates here. 'There are several regions we are particularly concerned about due to especially low immunisation rates. 'This includes Tairāwhiti, Lakes and Northland districts, which have lower immunisation coverage... less than 70%. 'The aim is for all districts to reach 85% by the end of the financial year, which still has two quarters remaining. Reid said there were no measles cases in the country, 'but in preparation for the possibility of a case being identified in NZ, we've reminded people of the importance of immunisation, particularly if they are travelling overseas. 'If you're not immune to measles, or you're not sure if you've had two doses of the vaccine, talk to your healthcare provider about getting vaccinated. 'It is safe to have extra doses of the MMR vaccine even if you are already protected.' The MMR vaccine is free for everyone under 18 years old, regardless of visa status. 'For those aged over 18, the vaccine is free if you're eligible for free healthcare in NZ. 'The vaccine is safe and very effective.' After two doses, 99% of people are protected from measles. The Public Health Communication Centre's Briefing recommended three immediate actions to prevent an epidemic. Catch-up MMR immunisation for those aged 15 months to 9 years without documented receipt of two doses of MMR vaccine. Priority should be given to existing immunisation requirements for primary schools and pre-schools to reach a 95% plus coverage target. It is these institutions that particularly drive the spread in the community. Improved communication to travellers about measles risk. For residents even more than visitors, as those returning home are more likely to import the virus. Rethink the country's response to new measles cases arising in the community to have a stronger immunisation component. The United States is enduring the largest measles outbreak in 25 years, with 935 confirmed measles cases as of May 1. Three outbreaks in Canada, Mexico and the US account for about 2300 measles cases across the World Health Organisation's six-country Americas region. As of May 1, 59 measles cases had been reported across Australia, compared to 57 cases for all of 2024. Every state and territory, except Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, has recorded at least one case.
