Housing Minister Phil Twyford has attacked the truthfulness of a Weekend Sun column written by National Party leader and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges. In his column titled ‘KiwiBuild on life support’, Simon claimed the popularity of the government’s...

It’s a gift with impact – food, delivered when and where it’s needed most. Take the story of a woman who received a bag of groceries, but couldn’t understand why anyone would give her something for nothing. “She tried...

To deny humanity of an unborn child is appalling. That’s the opinion of pro-life advocates who are applauding the Bay of Plenty District Health Board for not providing a surgical abortion service in Tauranga. Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr says...

They’re busy little beavers, collecting firewood, chopping it down and cutting up trees ready to sell to the community. Throughout the year, Tauranga City Sunrise Lions Club has been filling their depo with fire wood to sell two cubic metres...

When the Australian rugby league scout flew in and told Aritaku Robens he liked what he saw, Robens signed there and then. “I was pretty excited,” says the Otumoetai Eels centre and Coastline rep. “I’ve only been playing league...

Downtown Tauranga is more than an okay place to muddle around and find interesting things to do – just ask the cruise ship tourists. Cruise ship passengers visiting Tauranga’s CBD have rated it eight out of ten for the quality of the experience....

In an age where being ‘busy’ is becoming the norm, internet shopping can be a godsend for those wishing to skip the Christmas queues. But for others, the online world can be a minefield of scamming and dodgy deals. Find yourself fleeced...

There was a time a kid could redeem an empty lemonade bottle for enough money to buy a decent bag of aniseed balls or a quencher. Redeemable bottles were also the life blood of groups like the Boy Scouts, and part of a circular economy. This week,...

The hunt is on once more for the Bay’s best young fruit growers. To be eligible for the Bay of Plenty Young Fruit Grower competition, entrants must be under 30 and employed full time in the fruit industry for three years. Andrew Dawson, of the...

Three Tauranga City footballers have stripped the game back to basics to encourage fun and inclusiveness amongst some of the region’s youngest players. Colm Kenny, Raymond How and Tom Pamment have joined forces to roll out Fun First Football...

Champion surfer Indica Knox Corcoran is looking for sponsorship for the upcoming surfing competitions in Australia. A student at Tahatai Coast School, the eight-year-old won second place in the prestigious Sydney BL Blast Off competition in October....

Tauranga City Council is adding a Matua and Otumoetai New Year’s Eve event to its community celebrations, as part of the plan to take the festivities to local areas so that neighbours, families and friends can enjoy it together. The priority...

Much like the seaside settlement that it serves, Omokoroa Community Tennis Club is booming. After just six years, the club boasts a membership in excess of 110, and next week the club will double its capacity for tennis when Western Bay District Council...

Bernie Allen has a ‘pet’ project he’s been working on as he looks to raise funds for the SPCA. The Bethlehem Te Puna Lions member helps to run the market twice a month at Tauranga’s Historic Village, and is planning to have...

They’re nine of the city’s finest young singing voices, and early next month they go head-to-head in the Tauranga Opera Forum’s 2019 concert for singing scholarships. Two of the young singers will receive the $1800 first prize and...

A sea of Santas are set to leave their sleighs behind and dash around the Mount for a great cause. The Great NZ Santa Run - a fundraiser for the Graeme Dingle Foundation - is a fun run or walk, with each entrant receiving a free Santa suit.  Around...

It is the season of giving and that means no one goes without, even our rough sleepers. Homebase educator Juliet Little is asking the public to contribute just a little bit this year to help out the homeless. She has spread the message to several...

Sirens will be blaring in the region next week, but for an emergency of a more generous nature. Western Bay of Plenty Fire, Police and St John centres and Emergency Management Bay of Plenty are supporting the Salvation Army, Papamoa Food Services and...

It was 24 hours of retail madness that saw $69.7 million pass through New Zealand’s tills on Black Friday. For context, that’s $1.5 million more than the crazy Boxing Day sales last year, 10 per cent more than Black Friday in 2017, and...

Youth unemployment rates in New Zealand aren’t pretty. More than 11 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds are unemployed – figures that cost the government, and you the taxpayer, $345 million a year. One of them was Josh Callander, who at 14...

Bay of Plenty health campaigner Candy Blackwell, from smokefree organisation Hapainga, says she loves the idea of a possible ban on smoking in cars around children and pets. Second-hand smoke contains more than 200 poisons, including 50 that are known...

Greerton Village is gearing up for some Christmas cheer, markets, and a very special visit from two award-winning Kiwis. Mainstreet manager Sally Benning says the village is excited to put on a show for the Topp Twins, who will be performing on December...

After a season testing himself against the best the WaiBop Premiership has to offer with Papamoa, Liam Molloy is ready to dip his toes in a bigger pond. A much bigger pond indeed. Alongside fellow Tauranga football high-flyers Alfie Cole, Stanley...

Listen to Karen Summerhays, of the Te Puke Centre Working Group, and the deal is done - bar licking the stamps. The numbers stack up. “This town is buying that Post Office,” says Karen. “We are so excited, and so proud. It’s...

Two Western Bay students are the first recipients of the Waitaha-A-Hei/University of Waikato Scholarships, worth $14,500 each. Te Puke High School’s Travis Moke and Shyanne Erueti from Tauranga Girls’ College are the first in their respective...

It’s a cause close to her heart, and now Sarah Bolt is stepping up to volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association. “I started volunteering as I wanted to give back to the community that are living with Alzheimer’s,” she...

It’s more about family than a show ’n tell of your classic beauties. The annual toy run has been running for 15 years, and will continue to rev on. The Tauranga Toy Run returns with a range of hot rods, muscle cars and classics rides ready...

Will New Zealand make it three consecutive Rugby World Cup titles in Japan next year, or will Ireland, England or South Africa take home the William Webb Ellis Trophy? Losses in 2018 to South Africa and Ireland have put the pressure on veteran All...

More than 12,000 people, including a large number from the Bay of Plenty, have attached their signatures to a petition aimed at convincing politicians that dumping plastic bottles in landfill is not okay. Almost one billion plastic bottles are being...