A potentially life-saving bowel screening programme is coming to the Bay of Plenty in 2021. The National Bowel Screening Programme was recently rolled out in Waikato and the BOP is now set to follow suit. The NBSP is a free programme aimed at detecting...

She’s been shown at fashion weeks both domestically and internationally, and her designs have been worn by big names such as Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and our very own Lorde. And later this year, Karen Walker will be spending some time here in...

Unlike most 29-year-olds, Haley Thomas is looking forward to turning 30. For a long time, she didn’t think she’d live that long. The Papamoa woman was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2009 at age 17, two weeks before her 18th birthday. “You...

The 13 organisations and people charged with exposing their people to death or serious injury in the 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption could face fines of up to $1.5 million if convicted. Lawyers for prosecutor Worksafe, the 10 organisations and...

UPDATED: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that the Covid alert levels will lower on Sunday. Auckland will move to level 2 and the rest of New Zealand will move to level 1 from 6am Sunday. A decision on whether to move Auckland to level...

Police are currently at the scene of a car crash in Pyes Pa. Motorists are being advised to avoid the area of Takitimu Drive, between Kennedy Road and Tamihana Avenue. A police spokesperson confirms that the incident happened at around 3.15pm today. “It...

Council commissioners will meet early next week to tackle a raft of issues affecting Tauranga’s CBD, including the $3 million demolition of the Willow Street administration building, customer service centre and library. The civic building saw...

The Civil Defence’s tsunami advisory for the Bay of Plenty has now been cancelled. An Emergency Mobile Alert was sent out to residents in the area at about 3pm on Friday afternoon. The alert confirmed that the beach and marine threat has now...

A referendum on the establishment of a Māori ward for Tauranga has been formally cancelled after a change to local government electoral laws came into effect. The Concerned Citizens Group submitted a petition opposing the establishment of a Maori...

Many heads turned when two double decker car carriers loaded with 22 TN Major series Antonio Carraros travelled from Hamilton to Te Puke. The stares continued when those 22 tractors parked in formation at their new home at Seeka headquarters, in front...

There are no new cases of Covid-19 in the community or in managed isolation today. The Ministry of Health is also advising that current advice related to tsunami warnings supersede current Covid-19 alert level requirements in affected areas. The total...

The evacuation warning issued for coastal areas of New Zealand has been downgraded and people are able to return home. GNS Science has advised that the largest waves have now passed, and therefore the threat level is now downgraded to a Beach and Marine...

UPDATE 1.56PM: The cause of a house fire in Whakatane, which occurred amid tsunami evacuations, is under investigation. Three crews attended the fire on Goulstone Road, behind Whakatane High School. "There were no injuries," says northern...

Schools in Tauranga have been evacuated in response to the tsunami warnings that are currently in place across the Bay of Plenty. Tauranga Saint Mary’s Catholic School on 13th Avenue have cleared the classrooms, and parents have been given the...

As phones blare with tsunami warnings, the sound of hundreds of school students singing a waiata fills Ohope Hill. Ohope Hill resident Taz Amos says the Whakatane community know how to unite in a crisis. “After the Whakaari White Island eruption...

UPDATE: 3:17pm Police have confirmed that one person has died following a crash on No 3 Road near Te Puke earlier today. The incident happened at around 11:30am, with the crash involving a motorcycle and another vehicle. "Sadly, the motorcyclist...

Civil Defence is providing an update following the multiple quakes this morning. Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan and Civil Defence national controller Roger Ball are providing the update at Parliament. GNS seismologist Bill Fry is also at...

New Zealand’s 2021 kiwifruit harvest has kicked off with the first commercial crop being picked this morning in Gisborne and more kiwifruit to be picked across New Zealand over the coming days. The 2021 season is forecast to be another record-breaking...

Jetboaters on the Tarawera River have left some angry parents in their wake. Parents of children swimming in the river have taken issue with Northern District Jet Boating New Zealand Association members also using the river last weekend, claiming the...

A Civil Defence alert has sounded off on phones in the Bay of Plenty. The first wave impact is expected to hit the region imminently, reads the alert. The warning follows a number of large earthquakes off the coast of New Zealand. An 8.1M quake in...

A tsunami warning has been issued after a 8.1 magnitude quake near the Kermadec Islands. The quake was at a depth of 10km. It is the third earthquake this morning following a 7.4 quake near the Kermadec Islands earlier, and a 7.1 quake off New Zealand's...

Surf Life Saving New Zealand made the “heart-breaking” decision to cancel the 2021 TSB New Zealand Surf Life Saving Championships due to Covid-19 Alert Level uncertainty. The event was set to take place at Ohope Beach in the Bay of Plenty...

UPDATE 9.54AM: A tsunami warning for New Zealand coastal areas has triggered an evacuation following the magnitude 8.1 earthquake near the Kermadec Island region. There is a land and marine tsunami threat in place. "An Emergency Mobile Alert...

MetService is forecasting that most areas across Aotearoa will see wet conditions over the coming days. A front currently passing over the North Island sets the scene for the coming days, bringing localised areas of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms...

  Four people are facing charges in relation to the death of a Bay of Plenty man,   Jamaine Wharton attended a 21st birthday party at the Waiohau Rugby Clubrooms on February 27, where he was assaulted and later stabbed. The 31-year-old...

UPDATE 8.34AM: GNS Science continue to assess the tsunami threat. "At this time there is no new information," says the National Emergency Management Agency. "We will provide a further update within the next hour." The NEMA says...

The US Geological Survey is reporting a magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck near the Kermadec Islands. It's reported the quake hit about 6.40am, at a depth of about 56km. Notable quake, preliminary info: M 7.4 - Kermadec Islands, New Zealand...

    The paging system triggering the 27 tsunami sirens around the Coromandel will start to be disconnected over the next few months – to be completed by the end of September. The decision was made at the Thames-Coromandel District...

Ten people have put their names forward for a seat on the Western Bay of Plenty District Council. Nominations closed at 12pm on Thursday for the vacant Katikati-Waihi Beach Ward. A by-election was triggered when Councillor Christina Humphreys resigned...