Latest news with #Hawke'sBayToday
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Napier teen Mercede Eunson wins gold at Australian boxing tournament
'So I just had to move a lot more than what I normally do, which really worked my fitness.' At her experience level, she said it is really hard to find opponents, and she was initially running unopposed in the competition until a girl in a lower category with less experience stepped up, making the bout a straight final. But that one fight wasn't enough for the young champion from Napier. Mercede's mother and coach Naomi Eunson said after winning the under-17 division she stepped up to take on the under-19 champ. 'Unfortunately, we didn't win that match, and the New Zealand number one and number two in under-19 also fought the same opponent at the tournament and everyone lost to her,' Naomi said. 'So she was very, very tough competition, but we just wanted to take the experience and get as much out of it as we could, which was great.' Up next is the Boxing NZ Championships in September, but now Mercede has a taste of boxing overseas, she wants more. 'There's another one in Australia which is called the Queen of the Ring and it's really just for all of the girls, so there'll be heaps of opponents there,' Mercede said. 'It's the first female-only tournament to be run in the Australasian area, so we might look at going into that if we can get enough funding,' Naomi said. 'Everything comes down to funding.' Naomi (left) and Mercede Eunson at the Napier Boxing Club. Photo / Jack Riddell Naomi has been head coach at Napier Boxing for the last three years. In that time the club has won three golds at the National Championships, and produced five golden glove winners. 'We've had so many winners coming through, it's putting us back on the map,' Naomi said. The club started a female academy this year and has more than 20 girls aged 11 to 15 training to compete. Plus the club's women's classes are so fully booked, Naomi has had to start a waiting list. 'It's been a lonely sport for Mercede, being one of a couple of females in the club for some years now, so it's really nice for her to have teammates coming through now,' Naomi said. 'I was always like the odd one out, always the youngest, only girl, and now that I've got another female teammate who's my age, she's become like my best friend, so it's awesome,' Mercede said. Mercede's long-term goal is to represent NZ at an Olympics, but away from sport she has her eye on becoming a police officer. 'After I leave school, I'd like to go to the army and do a trade in carpentry cause I'm really good at like woodwork and metal work.' Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke's Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.
NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Award-winning Hawke's Bay novelists Gareth and Louise Ward - together in everything they do
On Monday afternoon, they said, together, in keeping with the same-page basis of seemingly everything they do: 'We've only just got home this morning.' Home - with Bookshop Detectives: #2 Tea and Cake and Death already on the stands - to prepare #3 for publishing by next April, with what Louise describes as the 'nice piece of paper' that symbolises the award. One might think it would also portend acceleration past best-seller ranks to those actually making some coin in the novel-writing game. Fact is that, while they understand Dead Girl Gone was the No 1 best-seller for a New Zealand novel last year, they say it's something more they enjoy doing than expecting to make a fortune. The couple's fascination with New Zealand started with visits by Louise to her brother, who had emigrated to Hawke's Bay. They arrived in Havelock North in 2007, finding over the years there were others of the literary enthused who'd moved to Hawke's Bay for similar reasons. Louise reels off a string of award winners, including Charity Norman, whose seventh book, Remember Me, published in 2022, was acclaimed the best novel at the Ngaio Marsh Awards last November. They opened the first Wardini Bookstore in Havelock North in 2013, and a second in Napier in 2017, and started writing. The couple went to Auckland at the weekend knowing they were in with a chance, having been 'short-listed' for what was one of 15 categories, in which publisher Penguin also benefited from the book, with the publicity and marketing. Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke's Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke's Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.
NZ Herald
16-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
On The Up: In the palm of his hand – Hawke's Bay shot putter Nick Palmer closes in on world championships dream
Palmer saved his best for last to snatch victory from German Eric Maihofer, who had thrown 20.09m, but has a career-best of 20.37m. Some of the world's best competitors in their events were at the meeting, including Olympic Games women's shot put champion and German idol Yemisi Ogunleye. Palmer's efforts lifted him from 62nd to 44th in the world rankings in just three days, and with each country allowed no more than three representatives, the Ireland win had elevated him to 23rd in qualifying for September's World Championships in Tokyo, for which the quota is 36. Among the criteria for New Zealand selection is the potential to finish in the top 16, and Palmer told Hawke's Bay Today he now needs to hit a New Zealand team selection standard of 20.50m. He says a place in the top 16 in the championships rankings is also in his sights. With a goal of joining Kiwi medal prospects Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill at the World Championships, Palmer has timed his form to the moment. He's heading straight to the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, where the shot put is contested on the weekend of July 23-24. Palmer developed his interest in the shot put after a flash of inspiration while fishing on the beach in Napier when he was 10. 'I picked up a rock on the beach and chucked it a long way,' he once said. 'My dad used to do athletics and he thought that I could be good at this.' He competed in the shot put and discus at the 2014 Colgate Children's Games and won the shot put, his 'first decent victory'. As a pupil of Karamu High School in Hastings, Palmer was the Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools Sports Awards Supreme award winner in 2017, heading off teams award winners and national schools rugby First XV champions Hastings Boys' High School and female sportsperson of the year and future national women's 200m sprint champion Georgia Hulls. He was at the time ranked No 6 on the World Under-18 men's shot put list, after winning the Under-18 title at the Australian Athletice Championships. Palmer is now based in Christchurch so that he can train with Walsh, and is also studying psychology through Massey University. Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke's Bay Today and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke's Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues and personalities.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Former Hawke's Bay Council Chair Fumes Over Heretaunga Pollution Doubt
Article – Linda Hall – Local Democracy Reporter The local council questions whether his photographic evidence shows smoke or fog over the Heretaunga Plains. Former Hawke's Bay Regional Council chair Rex Graham has a burning desire to stop orchardists from coating the Heretaunga Plains in smoke every winter. Graham sends regular photos of smoke from orchard burnoffs drifting over the Hastings and Havelock North airsheds to the council he once chaired, but he says he's starting to feel like it doesn't want to know about it, let alone do something with them. Recently, a council spokesperson suggested his photos possibly showed 'fog'. 'While photos can be useful, our first step would be to determine if the substance in the image is smoke – not fog or something else,' the spokesperson told Hawke's Bay Today. 'If it is smoke, we can then identify the source and assess whether any rules under the Resource Management Plan – like burning prohibited materials – are being breached.' A pollution response team thoroughly surveyed the Hastings airshed the day the photo was taken (22 May) and found little evidence of any breaches. Graham said the more he thought about 'this cynical and condescending response from the regional council staff, the more it disturbs me'. 'They are the regulators, and yet they do not want to understand or deal with the issue,' he said. 'They are no different from climate-change deniers. 'We will never stop this pollution, if this attitude and arrogance prevails.' Council policy & regulation general manager Katrina Brunton said differentiating smoke from fires or fog in early mornings from long distances would be difficult. 'We would investigate alleged fires, if we have addresses to respond to – otherwise, it would be difficult to pinpoint the location. 'Following the receipt of these or similar photos, enforcement officers did an extensive search of a large area of the Heretaunga Plans, attempting to locate the source, but were unable.' In 2023/24, the council received approximately 80 burning complaints during winter and more than 70 infringement fines were issued. Orchard burnoffs are permitted under the Regional Air Quality rules, but they must meet specific conditions. When the council is notified of a burn, it investigates. If it's found to breach the rules, the response follows a set process, starting with education and engagement, and escalating to enforcement, where needed. 'It's a confounding contradiction that the law forbids fires within the airsheds, except for orchard burnoffs, which are by far the worst sources of air pollution,' Graham said. A spokesperson said the council relied heavily on information from the public, as well as from its staff, who may observe smoke while working in the field. 'These reports are critical in helping our pollution response team act quickly.' Graham said all the photos he sent to the council show smoke from fires, some of which are outside the airshed. 'In all cases, this smoke ended up in the Hastings and Napier airsheds,' he said. Medical Officer of Health and public health physician Dr Nicholas Jones said health officials in Hawke's Bay worked with the council and supported its 'We breathe what you burn' campaign. 'Mr Graham has contacted public health to share his concerns about illegal burning,' Dr Jones said. 'Any fires burning inside the airshed – or when smoke from a fire outside the airshed results in pollution within the airshed – are of public health concern, particularly during cooler winter months, when smoke can become trapped closer to the ground. 'Smoke and pollutants from fires can cause several health problems, including breathing difficulties, coughing, shortness of breath, or eye, nose and throat irritation. People most sensitive to smoke are those with heart or lung conditions, pregnant people, young children and the elderly.' Graham said the council pollution response team generally did a great job, but they could not get to all the fires, which happened every day and ere spread over a large area. 'One of the challenges is that it's difficult to see this smoke when you are under it, but the fine particles within this smoke are dangerous to our community, which is being subjected to this pollution every day. 'Growers and lifestyles have options, and many of them use them, but sadly, we still have some idiots who have total disregard for our communities' well-being.' What is an airshed? An airshed is a legally designated air-quality management area. In New Zealand, regional councils and unitary authorities have identified areas to be managed as airsheds for the national environmental standards for air quality. Most airsheds may have levels of pollutants that exceed the national environmental standards for air quality. Some airsheds are also identified based on factors like the number of people living there now or in the future, unique weather patterns and geography, and local air emissions like local industrial activity, which need to be specifically considered and managed. Why do we have airsheds? HBRC says airshed rules exist because smoke from backyard fires in urban areas – although it may seem minor – adds up fast. On cold, still days, it lingers in neighbourhoods and affects air quality. 'If everyone lit backyard fires, it would quickly become a serious pollution issue. These rules help protect our whānau and community from the harmful health effects of smoke, especially in winter, when it gets trapped close to the ground.'
Scoop
13-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Former Hawke's Bay Council Chair Fumes Over Heretaunga Pollution Doubt
Former Hawke's Bay Regional Council chair Rex Graham has a burning desire to stop orchardists from coating the Heretaunga Plains in smoke every winter. Graham sends regular photos of smoke from orchard burnoffs drifting over the Hastings and Havelock North airsheds to the council he once chaired, but he says he's starting to feel like it doesn't want to know about it, let alone do something with them. Recently, a council spokesperson suggested his photos possibly showed "fog". "While photos can be useful, our first step would be to determine if the substance in the image is smoke - not fog or something else," the spokesperson told Hawke's Bay Today. "If it is smoke, we can then identify the source and assess whether any rules under the Resource Management Plan - like burning prohibited materials - are being breached." A pollution response team thoroughly surveyed the Hastings airshed the day the photo was taken (22 May) and found little evidence of any breaches. Graham said the more he thought about "this cynical and condescending response from the regional council staff, the more it disturbs me". "They are the regulators, and yet they do not want to understand or deal with the issue," he said. "They are no different from climate-change deniers. "We will never stop this pollution, if this attitude and arrogance prevails." Council policy & regulation general manager Katrina Brunton said differentiating smoke from fires or fog in early mornings from long distances would be difficult. "We would investigate alleged fires, if we have addresses to respond to - otherwise, it would be difficult to pinpoint the location. "Following the receipt of these or similar photos, enforcement officers did an extensive search of a large area of the Heretaunga Plans, attempting to locate the source, but were unable." In 2023/24, the council received approximately 80 burning complaints during winter and more than 70 infringement fines were issued. Orchard burnoffs are permitted under the Regional Air Quality rules, but they must meet specific conditions. When the council is notified of a burn, it investigates. If it's found to breach the rules, the response follows a set process, starting with education and engagement, and escalating to enforcement, where needed. "It's a confounding contradiction that the law forbids fires within the airsheds, except for orchard burnoffs, which are by far the worst sources of air pollution," Graham said. A spokesperson said the council relied heavily on information from the public, as well as from its staff, who may observe smoke while working in the field. "These reports are critical in helping our pollution response team act quickly." Graham said all the photos he sent to the council show smoke from fires, some of which are outside the airshed. "In all cases, this smoke ended up in the Hastings and Napier airsheds," he said. Medical Officer of Health and public health physician Dr Nicholas Jones said health officials in Hawke's Bay worked with the council and supported its 'We breathe what you burn' campaign. "Mr Graham has contacted public health to share his concerns about illegal burning," Dr Jones said. "Any fires burning inside the airshed - or when smoke from a fire outside the airshed results in pollution within the airshed - are of public health concern, particularly during cooler winter months, when smoke can become trapped closer to the ground. "Smoke and pollutants from fires can cause several health problems, including breathing difficulties, coughing, shortness of breath, or eye, nose and throat irritation. People most sensitive to smoke are those with heart or lung conditions, pregnant people, young children and the elderly." Graham said the council pollution response team generally did a great job, but they could not get to all the fires, which happened every day and ere spread over a large area. "One of the challenges is that it's difficult to see this smoke when you are under it, but the fine particles within this smoke are dangerous to our community, which is being subjected to this pollution every day. "Growers and lifestyles have options, and many of them use them, but sadly, we still have some idiots who have total disregard for our communities' well-being." What is an airshed? An airshed is a legally designated air-quality management area. In New Zealand, regional councils and unitary authorities have identified areas to be managed as airsheds for the national environmental standards for air quality. Most airsheds may have levels of pollutants that exceed the national environmental standards for air quality. Some airsheds are also identified based on factors like the number of people living there now or in the future, unique weather patterns and geography, and local air emissions like local industrial activity, which need to be specifically considered and managed. Why do we have airsheds? HBRC says airshed rules exist because smoke from backyard fires in urban areas - although it may seem minor - adds up fast. On cold, still days, it lingers in neighbourhoods and affects air quality. "If everyone lit backyard fires, it would quickly become a serious pollution issue. These rules help protect our whānau and community from the harmful health effects of smoke, especially in winter, when it gets trapped close to the ground."
