East Coast

A health statement in Gisborne that backs vaping as a means to quit smoking has been called out for not first denouncing the practice.

Gisborne Hospital's children's ward has reached full capacity for the first time in two years as respiratory illnesses put health services under pressure.

Many isolated communities are getting their Covid-19 vaccinations before the general public to reduce complexities.

WorkSafe has found two companies were not following safety rules when a forestry worker was killed by a log in the East Coast.

The government is counting another drop in unemployment numbers as a win - but others say the figures don't paint the whole picture.

Immunisation rates of babies in Tairāwhiti have dropped "disturbingly low", with one expert saying it reflects an overstretched health system.

Asbestos has closed the outdoor pool at Gisborne's Olympic Pool Complex after the same substance halted repairs and has kept doors shut on the indoor pool.

A "respect and dignity" bylaw has been passed in Gisborne banning the culturally abhorrent practice of sending mortuary waste to sea.

Gisborne police say the large number of people who helped search for three-year-old Axle near Tolaga Bay last month may have made the search "chaotic".

Students at a school in Tokomaru Bay will be learning from a marae while their buildings are repaired after horrific flooding.

When flood waters swept away a caravan from Rick Whaitiri's property in Tokomaru Bay on Sunday morning, he thought the house might be next.

Yesterday's flood-swollen rivers in Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne, triggered memories of the destruction caused by Cyclone Bola in 1988, East Coast MP Kiri Allan says.

A major clean-up will begin today on the East Coast where heavy rain flooded homes, a school and washed away roads. Audio