All dogs classified as menacing to be neutered, and no more than two beehives in a residential zone. They’re just a couple of proposed changes to the rules governing how we manage our dogs and keep other animals in Tauranga. The issues are up...... Read More

Daffodils take Gael Blaymires on a magic carpet ride. “I see a daffodil and I can still sense, still smell the daffodils and jonquils and snowdrops my grandfather grew on the banks of the Northern Wairoa River near Dargaville when I was a little...... Read More

There is just over five weeks until Greerton Village’s flag ship event - the Cherry Blossom Festival. This will take place on Saturday, September 22, on Chadwick Road and at Greerton Village School. The school will be running their annual Gala...... Read More

  Margaret Parker surprised herself. She was totting up how far she’d walked recently, and it came to more than 6000 kilometers in the last five years. “That’s not bad, is it?” she asks. When most of us are struggling...... Read More

The bus driver is venting in The Weekend Sun front office. To anyone who will listen really.   “Do they have any bloody idea?” He’s been manoeuvring his big yellow MAN 40-plus seater bus around construction sites, streets down...... Read More

  A pro-museum interpretation of the 60/40 museum referendum result is being challenged by the council’s City Transformation Committee chairman and museum advocate, Larry Baldock.   Sixty per cent of eligible voters who took part...... Read More

There’s no doubt the Bay of Plenty is home to its own ‘wonders of the world’. The region boasts some of the nation’s greatest beaches, trails, waterfalls, natural hot springs, lakes, rivers, marine volcanoes and forests. And it’s...... Read More

There’s less than two weeks to go until every gamebird hunter’s favourite weekend of the year, so it’s time to break out the camo, ammo, and get your ducks in a row. It’s a given the 2018 Game Bird Season brings endless amounts...... Read More

Nature is conspiring against the little blue penguin like it hasn’t done in many years. The birds are dying en masse and local wildlife workers have been left feeling stressed, demoralised and saddened. “A combination of events has led to...... Read More

No more foggy, cracked mirrors, and no more dark and dingy cubicles that encourage unsightly graffiti. Otumoetai College students will be toileting in relative luxury later this year after pleading their case for better facilities to the principal and...... Read More

“Love your work Smithy, will get onto it,” and “Gidday champ – I’m sure we’ve got some stuff we can dig out and send up.” These were among the Facebook comments to the ‘champ’ – the champ being...... Read More

The lights will go out across the world and the globe will be in unison for just one hour in a symbolic commitment to the planet this month. Earth hour will be celebrated in Tauranga with a combination of fun and education at the Protect Our Paradise...... Read More

Catch limits of rock lobster in the Bay of Plenty are under review by the Ministry for Primary Industries in the lead-up to the start of the April 2018 fishing year. MPI is seeking to rebuild the CRA 2 (Hauraki Gulf/Bay of Plenty) rock lobster fishery...... Read More

“There was a very real danger we were going nowhere,” says Martin Knudsen. There was an even greater danger that their four wheel drive would be seized and chopped - and 18 months of planning, logistics and dreams left shredded and scattered...... Read More

It’s just over a week to go until the election on September 23, and the race is tighter than ever. For many voters, one of this campaign’s most pressing issues has been the environment, particularly the state of our waterways. Earlier this...... Read More