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There's a sense of unease in Wairoa after two private properties have been shot at by rival gangs in the past ten days. In response, Police have invoked new powers to help dial down tensions between the Mongrel Mob and Black Power in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. Hawke's Bay Tai Rawhiti reporter Alexa Cook has more.
A gang conflict warrant has been issued in the Hawke's Bay after shots were fired at homes in Wairoa on Tuesday, then again in Napier yesterday. It will give Police extra search powers for affiliates throughout the region. Napier City councillor and former police detective Keith Price talks to Tim Beveridge about the issue. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A call for young drivers to have 60 hours of practice behind the wheel before they get a restricted licence will be a big hurdle for some unless the government funds it. This is according to a Wairoa trust that helps rangatahi get their licences. The government has floated changes to the rules for getting a restricted license. Denise Eaglesome-Karekare, the chief executive of Wairoa Young Achievers Trust spoke to Lisa Owen.
Wairoa Little Theatre is putting on its first production in five years after battling through Covid-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle that devastated the region. The theatre has also struggled to coax locals on stage. Playwright and star Louise Bramley spoke to Lisa Owen.
The town of Wairoa could lose out on a $70 million government fund for flood protection if it can't decide on a solution before the end of this month. Alexa Cook reports.
On today's REX Daily Podcast, Dom talks with Stefan Vogel, RaboResearch Australia & NZ GM, about a new podcast series looking at the top trends impacting NZ food and agri to 2030, including a shift towards in-home alcohol consumption, a rise in the use of anti-obesity medications and increasing demand for dairy products tailored to older consumers... He talks with National Lamb Day Committee Chair Jon Pemberton about what's in store for this year, the positive signs for the 2025 farming year and his Nuffield scholarship... ... And he talks with East Coast Farming Expo Organiser Sue Wilson about preparations ahead of this year's event on the 19th and 20th of February in Wairoa. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.
Dom talks with East Coast Farming Expo Organiser Sue WIlson about preparations ahead of this year's event on the 19th and 20th of February in Wairoa. Tune in daily for the latest and greatest REX rural content on your favourite streaming platform, visit rexonline.co.nz and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more.
Parts of the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa are cleaning up after being inundated with heavy rain overnight. Local emergency management says up to 80 millimetres fell in the district last night.
Every week Jesse is forced to cold call an information center somewhere in New Zealand.
A changing climate and shifting land use has prompted Wairoa sheep and beef farmer Dave Read to develop a new breed of low-input sheep.
We meet a keen gardener in the Far North, hop in the sheepyards to learn about dagging and talk emissions with a sheep and beef farmer in Wairoa. And later we take a look back in the archives with a rural postman on his rounds.
Hawke's Bay residents will need to brace themselves for at least another 14 months of road closures on State Highway Two - as the cyclone damaged section of the road between Napier and Wairoa won't have two lanes open until next Christmas. Hawke's Bay Tairawhiti reporter Alexa Cook has more.
22 Sep 2024: Our media put politicians' feet to the fire in the name of accountability - but some won't front up in the first place. Is the way they're doing it part of the problem? Also: the local iwi steps in to save the local paper in Wairoa.
Wairoa's Civil Defence controller says she's lost all trust in Hawkes Bay Emergency Management over its handling of the flood alert in June when the river burst its banks and poured through 400 homes. Wairoa's Civil Defence Controller, Juanita Savage spoke to Hawkes Bay reporter Alexa Cook.
An independent review into Wairoa's June flood found the Hawke's Bay Regional Council doesn't have a proper management plan in place. It's made several recommendations including actions to better monitor the river bar and strengthen ties with the Wairoa community, Ashleigh McCaull reports.
A review into the devastating June floods in Wairoa details a litany of shortcomings in the management of the local river mouth by the Hawkes Bay Regional council. More than 400 properties were damaged or destroyed when the town flooded on June 26. At the time, locals criticised the council for not digging a channel to let the rising Wairoa river release into the sea sooner - known as 'opening the bar'.The review said it's "surprising" that didn't happen, but it may not have mitigated the problem. But also found the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, that is legally responsible for the river, had no operational plan for managing the bar, despite its known flood risk. Chair of the Hawkes Bay Regional Council, Hinewai Ormsby spoke to Lisa Owen.
Wairoa's flood-hit residents are urging the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to act on a raft of recommendations to avoid disasters in the future. Hawke's Bay Tairawhiti reporter Alexa Cook has been talking to locals.
A review into the flood that devastated Wairoa in June has found Hawke's Bay Regional Council lacked a proper plan for managing the river mouth, and did not listen to locals.
Wairoa's CBD is set for a makeover - with council bosses to contribute towards some spruce-up work and leaving the door open for potential fines for landlords whose properties are in a state of decay.
The government wants to roll back local councils' ability to set tough rules for forestry. Wairoa mayor Craig Little spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
A social worker in Wairoa says more than 50 whanau are caring for elders at home who should be in aged care - but there is no aged care facility in the town.
Former long-time Hastings mayor and electorate MP Lawrence Yule has been given the role of solving Wairoa's flooding problems.
Tatau Tatau o Te Wairoa celebrates its first commercial apple harvest and the first of its horticulture cadets graduating. Along with Ohuia Incorporation, the trust has planted 28-hectares of Maori-land, transitioning from traditional sheep and beef farming to horticulture.
This week on Country Life a high-tech lettuce farm in Taranaki, a tribute to the old fashioned dunny, a backyard project keeping blokes busy in North Canterbury and hort cadets in Wairoa getting their hands in the soil.
Stories are emerging of selfless heroism from members of Wairoa's fire brigade when the town flooded in June. Ashleigh McCaull reports.
Wairoa's mayor, Craig Little, says he was not surprised by a scathing review of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's flood protections during Cyclone Gabrielle. Little spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
A month on from the Wairoa's devastating floods and the town's mayor says it was only luck they didn't need "body bags". Ashleigh McCaull reports.
Some Wairoa residents are still figuring out when they can move back into their homes almost a month on from the second devastating flood in less than two years. Some homes have been burgled while residents wait for repairs to be carried out, others have decided it's not worth rebuilding at all, Ashleigh McCaull reports.
Almost a month on from June's devastating floods in Wairoa and residents are still cleaning up their properties, but many are unsure when their homes will be livable again. Many are angry at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council for failing to open the town's river mouth sand bar earlier which they say could have prevented the floods from happening. Reporter Ashleigh McCaull spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
A Wairoa business and a land owner are taking the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to court - seeking compensation for June's flooding. The statement of claim, filed yesterday, says 500 properties were flooded in Wairoa after the Council failed to take timely action to open the river mouth. The claim says that flooding damaged property, plants, machinery, homes, and belongings; reducing the value of land and businesses; and inflicted stress, inconvenience, pain, and suffering; as well as causing losses of income, and increased expenses for repairs and temporary accommodation. The claimants' lawyer Grant Shand spoke to Corin Dann.
More than 100 people are still out of their homes in Wairoa following June's flood in the northern Hawke's Bay town. As people try to clean up their homes and dry out their belongings, anger is simmering about how the disaster was allowed to happen, Jimmy Ellingham reports.
Chris discusses the ownership of Hawkes Bay airport, the 70th anniversary of the Pania of the Reef sculpture, and a big rugby game in Wairoa tomorow.
Wairoa families need cleaning gear, toilet paper, bedding and energy efficient heaters - the region's in recovery mode after last month's flooding, Jordon Winiata, the function lead at the distribution centre in Wairoa speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.
Meanwhile, two reviews will put the magnifying glass on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's controversial decision not to open the river mouth sooner - which locals say is the reason their homes are ruined, Lauren Crimp reports.
The government has committed another half a million dollars to help mop up flooded properties. One of those was The Limery, it's New Zealand's only lime juice factory and teams have been working non stop there, to help owner Di Downey, she speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.
As the Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery visits Wairoa today, a mayoral relief fund on Givealittle for the town has swelled to more than $120,000.
As the cleanup continues in flood-ravaged Wairoa, so does the anger over the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's failure to open a sand bar that would have allowed some of the flood waters to drain to the sea. The town remains in a state of emergency today, with around 500 homes damaged, Chair of Hawke's Bay Regional Council Hinewai Ormsby speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.
Fire and Emergency NZ has been carrying out rapid assessments on properties, with at least 400 affected, and 116 suffering moderate damage. 8 properties suffered significant damage in the devastating weather late Tuesday and early Wednesday. CEO of the Insurance Council Kris Faafoi speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.
Closed since Cyclone Gabrielle, Sharon Soloman had just one day to celebrate re-opening, before they were inundated again overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Since then, they've been busy saving everyone else staying at the campground and only today has Sharon had a chance to look at what they've lost, Sharon Soloman speaks to Susana Lei'ataua.
Di Downey from The Limery had just minutes to escape before being inundated by flood waters, she's described leaving the property in the dark, dodging huge logs and debris. Today she had to send out an SOS call for help to clean up, she described to Susana Lei'ataua what she's lost.
One of the neighbour's helping Diane with her clean up today was Paul Macalo. He speaks to Susana Lei'ataua about being on his tractor helping Di clear debris from her property, when he saw Wairoa Mayor Craig Little and Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell and their entourage turn up for a media conference.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell speaks to Susana Lei'ataua about spending the day in Wairoa. He said the community are starting to shift their focus to recovery.
As locals in the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa once again clear flood debris from their homes and properties, questions are emerging about whether more could've been done to open the Wairoa river mouth to the sea.
A continous car horn sounding at 4:00am in Wairoa got Kim Laura Gilmore and her husband out of bed to investigate, only to discover water lapping at the Kopu Road house where they stay in, Kim Laura Gilmore speaks to Lisa Owen.
He's spent much of the day in the Hawke's Bay but right now he's on a defence force plane to Wairoa with extra police support after describing the aftermath of last night's weather there as 'catastrophic'.
Wairoa was the hardest hit in last night's storm with Mayor Craig Little describing the impact as catastrophic with tens of millions of dollars needed in road and water repairs, Gianina Schwaneke speaks to Lisa Owen.
The horrendous weather forced the closure of State Highway 2 from Napier into Wairoa today, Ray Edwards, NZTA-Waka Kotahi acting system manager for Hawkes Bay and Tairawhiti speaks to Lisa Owen.
Wairoa and Heretaunga in Hastings remain under a State of Emergency, Gisborne has also taken a hammering. Mayor Rehette Stoltz speaks to Lisa Owen.
Areas in Gisborne have also been hit hard by the weather, lashed by torrential rain. However in Wairoa, more than a hundred homes are flooded and some roads in and out of the town are badly damaged, restricting access, Wairoa Mayor Craig Little speaks to Lisa Owen.
In the Northern Hawkes Bay town of Wairoa, residents have been evacuating since about 6am. Mayor Craig Little speaks to Kathryn