Residents at the Mount Maunganui RSA Welfare Trust Village are full of appreciation for their lockdown angels. “They did grocery runs, mowed lawns, spent time with residents and looked after us,” says Sue Clarkson, who lives at the village. She...

Bookworms are back in their element and browsing the stacks at the Whakatāne library. Te Kōputu, Whakatāne's library and exhibition centre, threw open its doors to book and Wi-Fi lovers this week after a nearly nine-week hiatus. Lifelong learning,...

Be kind and take extra care on the road this weekend – that’s the message from Police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency this long Weekend. As people prepare to go away for the first long weekend since lockdown, we want to remind them...

A week is a long time in politics and nobody knows that more than Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller. He describes his successful challenge for the National Party leadership as an “extraordinary” experience. “From the moment the caucus...

Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners if it is contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill.   The bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament...

The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is closer to being strengthened following the first reading of a bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior...

Uber driver Andrew Pound loves the vibrancy of Tauranga city. Once a Baptist minister, he has been with Uber since the company began in the Bay of Plenty more than two years ago and enjoys seeing what’s happening around the city as he takes...

A range of support tools to help young people manage anxiety due to the uncertainty and change caused by COVID-19 are being funded by the Ministry of Health. “We know young people are really affected by the uncertainty of COVID-19 and may be...

Our borders may be closed but some international backpackers are still making the most of their New Zealand travel dreams. There are estimated to be up to 150,000 overseas visitors still in the country and despite various repatriation flights, many...

Night works to remove concrete barriers from State Highway 29A (SH29A), near Baypark, will take place over the next two weeks. Work is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 2, to Thursday, June 4, and again on Sunday, June 7 to Thursday, June 11. To...

During lockdown, many families adjusted to new routines with children home full-time. Multi-tasking took on a new meaning, the work-life balance was thrown off-kilter, and the extra family time was cherished. But for the 6000+ Kiwi kids in foster care...

The Ministry of Health says there are no new cases of COVID-19 in the country today, with New Zealand marking a week since the last confirmed case in this country. There was no live media briefing from the all-of-government response team today. In...

The National Party has announced a cash payment scheme for business that hire new staff. The scheme will provide a $10,000 cash payment to businesses that hire additional staff National Party leader Todd Muller has announced. The JobStart scheme would...

Packing and stacking kiwifruit is a potential backup plan for the National Party leader’s semi-retirement. Todd Muller has been offered a position at the Apata Group Limited pack house in Whakamarama, after a visit to the site on Thursday. Muller...

The Armed offenders squad are assisting police with routine search warrants near the Wairoa River Bridge this morning a police spokesperson has confirmed. Earlier SunLive received reports of the armed offenders squad at the Wairoa River Bridge in the...

A Head Hunters gang member sentenced to 12 years and one month prison is said to have “chosen gang life”. But Justice Anne Hinton said that view was “simplistic” when considering his history of abuse. Tauranga man Stacy Walton...

The national water reforms announced by the government this week is being welcome by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. “It’s great to have the direction we’ve been waiting for. Now we can move forward faster to improve the care...

An application for a privately funded $75 million Omokoroa Town Centre has been submitted to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council for resource consent. The submission for 404 Omokoroa Road, by local business JACE Investments Limited, is to be...

Police are surrounding a house in a Bay of Plenty village after reports of shots being fired. Initial reports were made about shots heard about 4.30am on Friday on Umuroa St in Mamaku, says a police spokeswoman. A few hours later, more reports of...

One person is in police custody following reports of a burglary in Tauranga this morning. A police spokesperson says officers were flagged down by a member of the public at 6.15am. The person reported that someone was attempting to break into a shop...

Power is out to homes in a Tauranga suburb this morning following a crash. Powerco.co.nz is reporting that a vehicle has struck a pole in Bellevue, causing a power outage. The power went off around midnight, according to the power company's website. A...

Having an orchard backed by the Kaituna River makes for quite a site – one that Ahuwhenua Trophy finalist Otama Marere are very proud of. What used to be a golf course for 60 years up until the 1980s, has been transformed to reflect how Otama...

MetService is forecasting unsettled weather for this long weekend and a warm start to winter on the June 1. An area of low pressure from the north Tasman Sea is forecast to move southeastwards across the North Island this long weekend, bringing periods...

Police are asking for witnesses to a collision between a truck and cyclist in Mount Maunganui to come forward. Emergency services were called to the crash on Totara Street, near Maui Street, around 4pm on Thursday. A cyclist was taken to Tauranga...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marked the first anniversary of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership with a virtual Leaders’ Meeting today. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019,...

One person is dead following a crash in Mount Maunganui. Emergency services were called to the crash on Totara Street, near Maui Street, around 4pm. A cyclist, who was involved in a collision with a truck, was taken to Tauranga Hospital in critical...

The government has announced a funding boost to help thousands of artists and creatives recover from the impact of Covid-19. Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern made the announcement at Te Papa this afternoon. She...

Better protection for seabirds is being put in place with a new National Plan of Action to reduce fishing-related captures announced by the government. The National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2020 outlines our commitment to reduce fishing-related captures...

April’s Lockdown was bad news for nature’s nasties with Predator Free Bay of Plenty recording its largest number of pest trappings. Predator Free Bay of Plenty is now fully back in business and distributing traps to back garden trappers now...