Tauranga businesses have been inundated with face mask orders this week after the region’s jump to Alert Level 2.   Bernina Sewing Store on Cameron Road was forced to stop processing orders after taking more than 1500 orders on...

  Tauranga City Council is considering backing a ferry service between Omokoroa, Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.   Last Friday Tauranga City Councillors John Robson and Heidi Hughes and Deputy Mayor Tina Salisbury took a trip to Auckland...

    Matthew Hunt, the slain police officer killed in Massey, Auckland, on June 19, was passionate about sports and fitness, according to his family. His friend Sam Swaffield, along with other friends and police officers from Auckland, are...

    A community centre known as ‘the heart of Te Puke’ will soon be forced to close after falling into financial hardship. Te Manawa - The Te Puke Centre opened less than a year ago in town, taking over ownership of the post...

  Loserpalooza is the festival for Tauranga’s underground punk lovers – and its back for a third year.   Twenty five bands across two stages will grace Totara Street for the event, which kicks off on Saturday, from 12pm to 1am. For...

  A recent Restaurant Association survey shows 78 per cent of NZ hospitality businesses are struggling to find skilled workers to fill senior positions.   This rings true for Harbourside restaurant owner Peter Ward for all roles, from front...

  An advocate for Tauranga’s homeless community has been recognised as a voice for those who are not being heard.   Tauranga woman Pip Brook received the Amnesty International Robert Anderson Memorial Award last week at the Tauranga...

A young mental health advocate is stoked to be nominated for a national award that is created ‘for Maori, by Maori’. Former Otumoetai College student Jessica Collins (Ngati Porou) is a finalist for the Te Whetu Maiangi Award for Young Achievers...

  Times may be tough for up-and-comers in the music industry, but Tauranga-based band Copper Feel is finding success through cheeky persistence.   Whenever The Edge radio station’s night show asked for callers, Copper Feel bassist...

  For many, lockdown provided a prime opportunity to finally do the things ‘I’d do if I had more time’ – from learning an instrument to finding a sudden interest in running.   Whakamarama’s Eileen Gilmour’s...

  When you think about Omokoroa and the surrounding area you think Bay of Plenty, the beaches and all it has to offer – not Coromandel.   But this election people living in Whakamarama, Omokoroa and Pahoia will be voting in the Coromandel...

  Gone are the days when an honest man and his neutered missile can peacefully co-exist. In fact Dave Cross’ anti-aircraft missile has only just landed back in his collection after its TradeMe auction caught the attention of police a couple...

    The Western Bay Wildlife Trust say it’s time to give cats a curfew. They may hiss and moan about it like a socialite teenager with the same fate, but keeping them inside will help Mount Maunganui’s Little Blue Penguin population...

  Sulphur Point’s Marine Park will remain a reserve, following a decision by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage, released last week.   A proposal to revoke the reserve status of 0.7ha of Marine Park’s total 11.2ha was made by...

  More than 170ha of Matakana Island will be returned to iwi if public submissions rule in favour.   If successful, the eastern end of Matakana Island, Panepane and Purakau, will be returned to five Ngai te Rangi hapu from the Island. Seven...

  The daily grind of work, eat, sleep, repeat gets mundane but for two Tauranga people it is all they wanted.   Julie Thomson and Mitchell Brown have learning challenges and spent most of their adult life doing day programmes with Avalon...

  A Tauranga doctor has described general practice waiting rooms as “breeding grounds” for viruses pre-COVID.   But coronavirus has changed the way doctors’ waiting rooms operate and strict hygiene measures have helped...

  A Tauranga home goods store has stopped selling the Confederate flag after receiving complaints about what it represents.   The flag was removed from AJ’s Emporium last week, but previously the store had sold the item for the past...

  The notion of consumers buying local is alive and well but businesses are doing their bit to keep the local cogs turning as well.   By using local suppliers where possible and stocking local products, businesses are helping to keep the...

  More Mount Maunganui households are wanting to join Western Bay of Plenty Neighbourhood Support after the isolation of lockdown.   Neighbourhood Support delivered fliers around the Mount calling for new street co-ordinators. The result...

  The Bay of Plenty Interpreting Service, BOPIS, is celebrating eight years of service in the Bay.   “When we started, we had seven interpreters and now we have 60. It’s incredible,” says BOPIS coordinator Emmanuelle...

  The Tauranga Hospital children’s ward is $2500 closer to purchasing a lifesaving piece of equipment for sick babies, thanks to a joint donation from two Bay of Plenty organisations.   New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Central...

The cost of housing, a universal basic income, the environment and the opportunity to thrive are all top policy priorities for The Opportunities Party – TOP – as we head towards the September election. Here in the Bay, Chris Jenkins, data...

  ‘We don’t want another a Phoenix carpark or Greerton mess,’ say Mount Maunganui ratepayers about Tauranga City Council’s ‘Innovating Streets at the Mount’ proposal.   The July meeting of the Mount...

  Tauranga’s Bob Owens Retirement Village has won Ryman Healthcare’s Village of the Year award for 2020.   The news was announced during a virtual awards ceremony hosted by TV personalities Hilary Barry and Anika Moa and broadcast...

  You may not be familiar with the words of a Brindisi chorus in Verdi’s popular 1853 Opera, La Traviata, but nonetheless the sentiments are apt for a social event with a difference.   How about a three-course buffet lunch, a glass...

  The Electrical Training Company is calling for aspiring Tauranga electrical apprentices to enroll in a foundation course due to start in September.   ETCO national learning manager Bradley Hepi says the year-long electrical engineering...

  Missing in action for a couple of years, it’s now time to put Mountie back where he belongs, says Mount Maunganui and Papamoa ward councillor Dawn Kiddie.   The iconic surfer statue was once a feature of Phoenix carpark, where...

  Otumoetai College student leader Baylee Dyer believes every girl deserves to experience their senior ball.   But, she says, not all students can afford to pay hundreds in preparation for the event - buying a ticket, a dress and getting...