Gisborne is situated in the Poverty Bay region on the sunny East Coast of the North Island and is the first city in the world to see the sun each day! Famous for its surf beaches, Gisborne enjoys a relaxed lifestyle, beautiful beaches, great fishing, yachting, surfing and golf.
The Gisborne region includes Lake Waikaremoana, a haven for trout fishing. The temperate climate, clean lakes, streams, beaches and forests have become a focal point for tourism. Tramping, hunting, white water rafting, canoeing, fishing, surfing, golf yachting, and all types of wilderness activities are catered for.
Kaiti Beach, near the city, was where the Maori waka, Horouta, landed and is also the first European landing place in New Zealand. Captain Cook first set foot here in 1769.
The Gisborne district (pop. 45,000) generally has warm summers and mild winters. Gisborne is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand with average yearly sunshine of around 2200 hours, and an average 65 days a year have a maximum of over 24°C.
When it comes to business and employment, Gisborne is rich with opportunity. The relatively low overheads of a provincial centre, together with the benefits of modern communications are increasingly attracting niche market businesses. Wood processing, tourism related, light manufacturing and food processing industries are growing and attracting investment.
Gisborne-based enterprises have shown innovation and excellence in a variety of areas including cheese, beer, wine, cider, popcorn, milk products, hosiery, surfboard production, truffles, plastics, cashmere fibre production, organic farming and oil extraction for perfume and health products from the native Manuka plant.
The East Coast offers a wide range of primary, intermediate, secondary and tertiary education providers. Every year students from the East Coast region are recognised at excelling academically, culturally, and through various sporting events.
