Gisborne (pop. 47,517) is a district in northern New Zealand, on the eastern coast of the North Island. It lies at the northern end of Poverty Bay, and is the center of a large farming area noted for sheep, fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy products. The district has a large canning and meat works. It is one of New Zealand’s largest fishing ports.
Gisborne has both a port on Poverty Bay and inner harbor wharfs on the Turanganui River on the Kaiti Basin. A museum, an art gallery, and fine beaches are within the district. The largest carved Māori meeting house in New Zealand stands at the foot of Kaiti Hill. A memorial to the British explorer James Cook stands near the harbor entrance. Cook’s first landing in New Zealand was at Gisborne in 1769. Gisborne was named after the British colonial secretary William Gisborne.
