Bay Of Plenty

The transport agency says traffic moves more "steadily" with fewer lanes.

Whakatāne Hospital's Maternity Unit will be downgraded to a primary birthing centre from mid-January with women needing specialist care being transported to Tauranga.

All four specialists have resigned at Whakatāne Hospital, leaving midwives "sick" with worry: "What happens if something goes wrong?"

Māori ward councillor Mikaere Sydney has been in hospital since July.

"The horse has already bolted. Those of us who choose not to drink fluoridated water have already figured out what we have to do."

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell is taking the city's council to the Ombudsman after he said they failed to give satisfactory answers to an information request over the contentious sale of the city's marine…

Kiwifruit company Seeka is supporting 100 ni-Vanuatu fruit pickers helping with summer pruning to contact their families back home.

The compass was vandalised last week.

A man shot dead on the Coromandel Peninsula on Friday has been described as a "loveable ratbag" and father of five boys.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash remain ongoing.

A diesel spill south of Coromandel Peninsula has prompted a warning from police.

Tauranga mayor Mahé Drysdale says it is a "despicable and disrespectful act". Audio

Has Springfield Golf Course been saved?

"The objectionable nature of these odours ranges from very unpleasant to nauseating and unbearable, " one submitter to a hearing says.

John Stride made a false insurance claim on a $1.3 million policy after heavy rain caused damage to a site he was working on and for which he had failed to organise cover.

A police spokesperson said a person found the body at around 12.45pm.

"Having a business that employs that many people right here in a small village has been a very fortunate thing for the locals to have."

The proposed sale took another turn last week when Tauranga council was served with judicial review proceedings and the High Court granted an interim injunction to prevent the sale from going ahead.

Liquidators will take care of the Maketū Pies business while they find a buyer.

Fourteen arrests have been made during the tangi, with guns also seized by police. Audio