Pee, poo and paper are the only things you should be flushing down the toilet. That’s the message from Tauranga City Council as it launches a ‘Save our pipes from wipes’ campaign in a bid to stop people from flushing wet wipes down...

The Mountain Film Festival is heading back to Tauranga to showcase a host of adventure-based short films. Held at the Graham Young Youth Centre, on Wednesday, October 24, the festival will show some of the best mountain films from New Zealand and...

It’s the power of the printed word, and the connection and clout of a community newspaper. Because of a small story in The Weekend Sun recently, dozens of vulnerable kids spent the last part of winter warm, healthy and happy. The alternative...

Empathy isn’t something that everyone feels straight away, but it can come over time. New Tauranga Moana Restorative Justice Trust general manager George Te Ati Ririnui says he is privileged to take on the challenge of providing safer homes and...

Who is, or was, ‘Thos. Purves’? The handwritten name and service number No. 69724 4th  Br. NZRB – or Fourth Brigade New Zealand Rifle Brigade – is inscribed on the flyleaf of this copy of ‘The Official History of...

Months of training will come to a head for Otumoetai College’s Caitlin Reid next month, when she takes on 18 of the country’s top spellers to compete for the coveted title of 2018 New Zealand Spelling Bee champion. Caitlin won her place...

“Some diners thought that because nine and ten-year-olds were cooking, they’d be getting fairy bread and sausage rolls.” But ‘executive chef’ and senior head teacher Ben Brock and his Ruapehu Restaurant crew of 150 Greenpark...

Elizabeth Grainger’s natural flair for visionary art came to her in a lucid dream. At six-years-old, while hiding out in native bush in her home town of Katikati, she had a spiritual awakening. In a space of forest protection, she suddenly found...

No approval for any new pokie venues in Tauranga, and no approval for any additional pokies for existing venues – that could be the new, hard-nosed Tauranga City Council attitude to gambling in the city. Council is proposing a “sinking...

Watch from afar or cruise the streets around the Mount while buskers of all ages serenade you with their sweet sounds. The Mount Busking Festival will once again entertain members of the public with a variety of acts ranging from acoustic singers to...

The kereru has swooped to glory for the first time in Forest and Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition. Amassing a total of 5833 votes, the kereru, or wood pigeon, whooshed ahead early and managed to maintain a formidable lead to the finish...

If you’re heading to St George’s Anglican Church this Sunday, don’t be surprised if you end up sharing a pew with a dog, a cat or even a budgie or two. The Tauranga SPCA is holding its annual pet blessing service to celebrate and...

Hard work, and the leading of a peaceful life alongside others, regardless of caste and colour, are among the fundamental beliefs of Sikhism. These beliefs and more will be shared by the Te Puke Sikh community this Saturday (October 20) during their...

You don’t have to be an art expert to appreciate the work artists put into each stroke. Te Puke Art Society’s annual exhibition is on once again, showing off a range of art from the locals of the town. “We work towards this event...

Tauranga’s sporting royalty will be honoured at the 60th anniversary of Tauranga Boys’ College over Labour Weekend. Black Caps captain and world class batsman Kane Williamson will jointly receive the Old Boy of the Decade award, along with...

One of Papamoa’s favourite community events is returning for another year, promising an even bigger and better day for the whole family. The Golden Sands School Fun Run, Walk and Festival is returning for its third year on Saturday, November...

Bay of Plenty artists Ria Hall and Tiki Taane, along with co-writer Te Ori Paki, have received the Maioha Award at the 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Awards for the ballad ‘Te Ahi Kai Po’. The APRA Maioha Award recognises exceptional waiata featuring...

Tauranga Intermediate School student Utsav Kumar has the look of someone who has many memorable moments ahead of him in his chosen sport of cricket. But 180 off 115 balls against a touring Australian team is not a bad one to start with. “I know...

It’s not really a subject you’d want to bring up at the dinner table, but Diane Cheyne believes it needs to be said. Tauranga resident Diane is one of around 7500 New Zealanders, and approximately 500 people in the Bay of Plenty, living...

A team of Mauao kaitiaki (guardians) will offer free training to help keep a damaging fungus off the Mount Maunganui landmark. Pohutukawa trees that encircle the beachside mountain are susceptible to myrtle rust, as are resident manuka and kanuka....

A charitable trust working to support Te Puke youth may have to close its doors if it can’t make its rent payment this month. The Vector Group Charitable Trust, led by Steve and Tracey Fawcett, has been operating in the town since early 2017,...

White crosses will start appearing on Tauranga waterfront from next week as a Field of Remembrance is installed to mark the lives of the region’s soldiers who did not return from World War I. A total of 109 crosses will be installed at dawn on...

Like most contestants, they lounged on their sofa watching My Kitchen Rules NZ and thought to themselves: “This looks easy, sign us up!” Couple Sindy Coetzee, 35, and Roger Smith, 42, who have been penned the lovebirds of Papamoa, met through...

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the culture and customs of Matakana Island, a fundraiser for Waipuna Hospice on October 21 will provide the perfect opportunity. The Neil Scott Memorial Walk will be in remembrance of Matakana Island resident...

They say bad luck runs in threes. That was certainly the case for Papamoa’s Karen Kemp, with surgery for a hole in her heart followed by a hysterectomy in 2015 and a diagnosis of breast cancer the following year. “I turned 50 and it all...

Thieves have targeted Alzheimers Tauranga’s fundraising plant stand for the third time in a year, stealing much-needed donations. Manager Julie Sargisson says they don’t know exactly how much was taken from the plant stand, but the thefts...

Tauranga turned on a sunny day when the inaugural recipient of the University of Waikato Squash Scholarship - third year student Ben Grindrod - met up with Dudley Bell of the disbanded University of Waikato Campus Squash Club in Hamilton. The top of...

“Don’t be scared, just get it done.” That’s the message from Tauranga’s Lucia Ekenasio, 51, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy to treat breast cancer. Lucia – of Maori, Tokelauan and European descent –...

It’s a claim that would be backed by anyone who attended last year’s Pasifika in the Bay festival - that upping the ante on this year’s festival would be a hard task. And yet organisers of the festival are claiming they will be doing...