UPDATE: The government has purchased 60,000 courses of Pfizer's oral antiviral medication to treat early infections of Covid-19, subject to Medsafe approval, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed. "Today I can announce that Pharmac has...

    Local democracy, civic leadership and the new Covid-19 traffic light system are all topics of discussion in this month’s Matt Chat. Each month, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley talks about business in the city. This...

Several hundred people gathered at Memorial Park in Tauranga on Saturday morning to protest the government’s mandates. From 11.59pm on December 2, New Zealand adopted the Covid-19 Protection Framework, also known as the traffic lights. While...

9.10am update: A crashed crane truck has now been removed from Tauranga Harbour Bridge and one westbound lane has been reopened. One lane remains closed while spilled hydraulic fluid and diesel are cleaned up. Significant traffic delays are still...

As the country heads into the new traffic light system today, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay are providing an update for New Zealanders. With Auckalnders leaving lockdown after 107 days, Robertson...

With summer now here, WeatherWatch.co.nz takes a close look at the weather and climate trends for NZ across December, January and February now that La Nina is with us. La Nina means north of NZ (in the tropics) there is an increased risk of low pressure...

There are 146 new community cases of Covid-19 reported by the Ministry of Health across New Zealand today. Of these 146, 124 are in Auckland, 14 are in Waikato, four in Bay of Plenty and one in the Nelson Tasman region. The case in Nelson Tasman is...

UPDATED: The Western Bay of Plenty will enter the new Covid protection frame work on Friday at the orange setting. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced the setting each region will enter the traffic light system at a post Cabinet briefing this...

Looking for an innovative Christmas present this year? How about securing a film credit for your loved ones and work colleagues?    The second in a series of five ‘teaser’ videos for a documentary on the Rena disaster has been...

While there are no cases in New Zealand of the Covid-19 variant currently causing concern in South Africa, deputy prime minister Grant Robertson says it is a strong reminder that the global pandemic is far from over. Robertson and Director of Public...

There are two new cases of Covid-19 in the Bay of Plenty DHB region and another in the Lakes DHB reported among the 173 cases across New Zealand. It takes the total number of cases in the Bay of Plenty to 40 in the current outbreak. Of the Bay of...

Fully vaccinated New Zealanders will find it easier to come home from January 2022, with foreign nationals to follow from April onwards. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has announced today the Government's plans to remove the requirement...

A 100-day countdown to the biggest international sporting event that has ever been held in Tauranga has been launched at sunrise with a piece of sand art on Mount Main Beach. ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 is set to open in Tauranga on March...

La Nina conditions have been officially declared by the Bureau of Meteorology but it may not impact New Zealand the way people think. WeatherWatch says for months La Nina has been on the cards with the pervious outlook by BoM saying there was a 70...

All of New Zealand will move into the new Covid-19 Protection Framework at 11.59pm on Thursday December 2, making Friday December 3 the first day the traffic light system will be operationalised. “Cabinet has today provided New Zealanders certainty...

“It was an amazing experience.”   This is how a couple who were fishing near Tauranga describe seeing a pod of dolphins. Natasha Pownall and her partner were fishing when they came across a large pod of dolphins. “I’ve...

Local filmmakers planning a documentary about the community response to the Rena disaster are asking the Bay of Plenty community to get behind a crowdfunding campaign to help make the film.   Titled ‘The Rena, the reef, the residents’...

The Ministry of Health have reported the detection of Covid-19 in the waste water of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. This sample taken on November 15 follows positives detections from samples collected on 10 and 11 November. There are also 194 cases...

The Waikato region will move to alert level two at midnight tomorrow, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced today. After six weeks with level three settings, Ardern says the people of Waikato have helped to keep Covid-19 cases low and so at 11.59pm,...