Straight from city councilA personal view,by Councillor Steve Morris I received a letter in the mail this week inviting me to go on the Maori electoral roll, as I have Maori ancestors, and it got me thinking. Many of those in favour of ancestry-based...

Todd MullerNational MP   Last weekend, as I sat in the natural amphitheatre of the Te Puna Quarry listening to a superb kapa haka performance from our local disabled community, I reflected on a few weeks earlier when I had the pleasure of...

Clayton MitchellNew Zealand First MP As a Tauranga resident, I struggle with traffic and congestion. It quite often takes me more than 35 minutes to get from Golf Road to the Harbour Bridge via Hewletts Road in the morning and again in reverse...

Angie Warren-ClarkLabour MP I was pleased this week to hear an update from Professor Ron Paterson, chairperson of the Mental Health Inquiry, where he said that the inquiry is now well underway. During the election campaign last year issues around...

Bridget NicholisAcacia Safari Tours This week I am saying ‘Hi’ from the Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya. As I have mentioned, no two trips here are the same. Normally the highlight in this park is seeing more than a million wildebeest...

John ArtsAbundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz My motorcycle tour in India in 2015 was a feast for my senses including, of course, my taste buds. Most curry recipes contain the brilliant yellow spice turmeric. It has also been a mainstay  of...

Kristin DunneTourism Bay of Plenty The future of tourism  in the Bay of Plenty is literally in your hands.On Monday, April 16, submissions on Tauranga City Council’s Long Term Plan – including Tourism Bay of Plenty’s bid...

Active Voicewith Laura BoucherSport BOP Communications Advisor Risk versus responsibility – it’s a simple equation. Less responsibility, less risk. More responsibility, more risk. As children, we’re not afraid to climb trees,...

Sideline SidSports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz Flying under the radar in term one of the school year is an unheralded component of the New Zealand Cricket age-group pathway. The NZ Cricket Schools competitions, which are played...

Weather Eyewith John Maunder The storm that grew out of tropical cyclone Gisele caused the strongest wind ever recorded in New Zealand - 181 km/h (98 knots) gusting 269 km/h (145 knots) at Oteranga Bay west of Wellington. Although it wrought havoc...

Brian RogersRogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz Mate, you’re dreaming… no surprises there    The Commonwealth Games have kicked off on the Gold Coast, and after the cricket cheating saga we can expect the games will be played...

Jan TinettiLabour MP The great things that are going on in our community, and the special people who make them happen, never cease to amaze me. Recently, I was privileged to attend three events in one weekend - the Climate Change Forum, hosted...

Simon BridgesNational Party Leader simonbridges.co.nz The Bay of Plenty is thriving, and our increase in nominal GDP proves it. We have topped the regions for nominal GDP for the second year running (year ending March 2017), according to Statistics...

Straight from city councilA personal view,by Councillor Steve Morris “I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it” said Basil Fawlty in the Fawlty Towers episode ‘The Germans’. We had some German exchange students...

Sideline SidSports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz The Baywide rugby season is well and truly under way. While the prize on offer for premier sides is the coveted championship trophy, the 12 contenders started the title race two weeks...

Kristin DunneTourism Bay of Plenty Who enjoyed the National Jazz Festival last weekend? If you were amongst the 30, 000 people who soaked up the atmosphere, you will know what a great event it is for the city. With the onset of daylight saving...

Active Voicewith Laura BoucherSport BOP Communications Advisor Climate, sunshine hours and temperature affect our mood – it’s a scientific fact – and come May there will be endless articles informing us how to ‘beat the...

Weather Eyewith John Maunder Climate extremes in New Zealand, since instrumental records became available in the 1850's, show a range from the highest temperature of 42.4 degrees Celsius recorded in Rangiora on February 7, 1973, to the most intense...

Kristin DunneTourism Bay of Plenty What do Machu Picchu, Venice and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing all  have in common?They are all popular tourist destinations that are under pressure from the exponential growth of visitors each year.Historical...