Mitchell Park in Whakatāne.

Man charged after WWI and WWII plaques in Whakatāne stolen twice

"It is sad to see them treated in such a disrespectful way, given the profound meaning they hold for so many of us in our community."

Monday 3:47pm

Police say Jeremy Robertson, pictured, is in his 50s and is of solid build.

Final search planned for missing man sought over mother's death

Police believe Jeremy Robertson died shortly after arriving at the Blue and Green Lakes area, where his mother's car was found last October.

Monday 8:39am

Landslide damage on the Motukauri summit track.

Mauao summit track repairs complete as base track recovery begins

Recovery works on the summit track of Mauao are complete, but a timeline for reopening has yet to be determined.

Fri, Jul 17

A Tauranga motor vehicle trader agreed to buy back a car sold by his own company after being convicted of tampering with its odometer in the first successful prosecution of its kind.

Dealer agrees to buy back car after odometer tampering conviction

The MBIE prosecution marked the first successful case against odometer fraud, with dealer ordered to pay reparation and company fined $5000.

Wed, Jul 15

Waihi Beach Coastguard

'A kick in the guts': Fuel thieves target BoP volunteer Coastguard

Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard says thieves stole 1200 litres of petrol within days of its tank being refilled, leaving the charity thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Sun, Jul 12

Potential plans to redevelop Lucas Place have drawn ire from residents.

Rotorua pensioners face uncertainty as council eyes redevelopment

A resident of the Lucas Pl site in Fenton Park said some tenants do not want to move, and feared they could be "homeless by Christmas".

Sat, Jul 11

Shontelle Castledine was ordered to place anti-barking collars on her dogs, Karma (top) and Zeus.

Woman's fears over order to use anti-barking collars on her dogs

A Tauranga woman is terrified for the safety of her two dogs after the city council ordered her to fit them with anti-barking collars.

Wed, Jul 8

Leaking pipes are the most common cause of extremely high water rates bills, according to Whakatāne District Council.

Residents in Whakatāne shocked at huge water rates bills

One ratepayer was slapped with a $6500 bill after a water leak seeped away and didn’t surface.

Tue, Jul 7

A fire in Tauranga's Bethlehem this afternoon.

Property engulfed in flames in Tauranga's Bethlehem

Video sent to 1News shows Fire and Emergency New Zealand trucks at the scene.

Mon, Jul 6

Rotorua's Wastewater Treatment Plant is getting a $60m upgrade.

Sewage to 'sauvignon': Inside Rotorua's $60m wastewater upgrade

Treated water in Rotorua will soon have far fewer nasties as a new filtration system kicks in.

Mon, Jul 6

Property owner Te Kaha has been keeping a close eye on the exposed gas pipe in the Waiotahe River

Bay of Plenty family fear catastrophe from exposed gas pipe

“It’s an explosion waiting to happen,” the property owner says.

Thu, Jul 2

Kiwifruit on the vine. (file image).

Horticulture company fined $135k for 'flouting' migrant worker rules

Dosanjh Horticulture Limited and its director were involved in a wage "banking" meaning kiwifruit pickers missing out on entitlements.

Thu, Jul 2

Lotto: $17m up for grabs in tonight's draw

Lotto: $17m up for grabs in tonight's draw

Powerball was not struck on Saturday and has rolled over to tonight’s draw at 8.20pm.

Wed, Jul 1

Kaisa Griffin, left, Damon Joel Best, centre, and Anthony Ngapera.

Police separately seeking three dangerous men across North Island

Three individuals who "should not be approached" are being sought in Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty and Auckland.

Wed, Jul 1

Korean Mart owner James Kim is concerned all-day parkers could prevent regular short-stay customers from visiting his business.

Rotorua shop owner fears new parking rules will drive customers away

The new system for Rotorua's CBD includes permit-only spaces intended for long stays.

Wed, Jul 1

June 2026
An autobiography of rugby great Tana Umaga found at a greenwaste site in Whakatāne. (Source: Whakatāne District Council)

'We'd love to know why': Council reveals what people put in greenwaste bins

An "iconic piece of sporting history" was among a plethora of items sticking out like a sore thumb at Whakatāne District Council's greenwaste site.

Mon, Jun 29

Cloudy water with floating solids in a constructed wetland on the Whakatohea mussels factory site, where treated wastewater is discharged before being piped to the Duke Street drain shows the wastewater system was malfunctioning.

Mussel company fined after dozens of foul odour complaints

Complainants had described last year's odour as "relentless", and "unbearable and nauseating".

Thu, Jun 25

The new food and garden organics (FOGO) kerbside collection service bins.

Delay to Rotorua bin rollout cost $300k, council says ratepayers unaffected

The service, including new food and green organics (FOGO) bins, was supposed to start in July.

Thu, Jun 25

Coronet Peak on June 17, 2026.

Gales, snow, rain: More warnings likely as low bears down on NZ

MetService says watches and warnings already in place from Northland to Wellington are likely to be upgraded as the system develops.

Tue, Jun 23

Matt Ringot says the 96.7kg tuna is by far the biggest catch he's ever hauled in.

Jet ski fisherman lands 95.6kg tuna after shark bites off its tail

Matt Ringot's 90-minute battle in rough seas off the Bay of Plenty took a dramatic turn when a mako shark joined in.

Mon, Jun 22

Close up of a hands on a laptop

Man jailed for a decade of sharing child sex abuse images

Michael John Gray-Kippax's email account had more than 10 years of communications linked to his offending. 

Fri, Jun 19

Birch Ave residents are fed up as a "constant stream of hoons" tear up the Judea street nightly.

Video: 'Constant stream of hoons' plague Tauranga street

Birch Ave residents are fed up as a "constant stream of hoons" tear up the Judea street nightly.

Thu, Jun 18

Drivers cut through a padlock so they could remove the bollard to enter the cemetery to perform doughnuts.

'Extremely disrespectful' car doughnut stunt at Tāneatua Cemetery

As well as driving through the reserve, the vandal also tipped wheelie bins and spread rubbish around the cemetery and onto State Highway 2.

Wed, Jun 17

Lotto (illustration).

Retirement on the cards for Coromandel $4.5m Lotto winner

"I didn’t think it would ever happen – but this win means I can. It’s huge for us," the man said.

Wed, Jun 17

Norman Camburn, 86.

Stranger helps 86yo home from Whakatāne Hospital after same name mix-up

A different local man — also named Richard Hayes — answered the hospital's call and decided to go pick up the stranger anyway to ensure he got home safely.

Mon, Jun 15