Regional News

The Government has announced $5.7 million in working capital grants for regional airlines, including $1.2 million for Air Chathams, to help cover rising operating costs and maintain essential regional air services over the next 12 months.

Ōhope residents are being asked to choose between three pedestrian crossing options for Pōhutukawa Avenue, which could be delivered alongside planned road resurfacing in February next year.

Work is underway to improve the alternative route used when State Highway 2 is closed at the Waiotahe Bluffs.

A rāhui is in place following the recovery of a woman whose body was found near Moutohorā Island yesterday.

A 36-year-old woman who entered the water near Ōpōtiki on Sunday has been located near Moutohorā Island, north of Whakatāne.

Police are continuing an urgent search for a woman who remains missing after two people entered the water at the Ōtara River mouth and Waioweka River mouth connection in Ōpōtiki on Sunday.

Bay of Plenty residents could expect a warmer and drier-than-usual spring, with a strong El Niño event expected to influence weather patterns through to the end of the year.

Whakatāne District Council has postponed public consultation on how drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services will be delivered, after two neighbouring councils paused consideration of a proposed shared water services organisation.

Kawerau’s Mountain View Rest Home is set for a major heating and emergency preparedness upgrade, after securing more than $150,000 from Trust Horizon.

Police are urgently renewing their appeal for information to help confirm the safety and whereabouts of two people who entered the Ōtara River in Ōpōtiki early Sunday morning and have not yet been located.

Police are appealing to the public for information that may help locate two men who failed to stop for officers this morning before jumping into a river in Ōpōtiki.

Drivers across the Eastern Bay of Plenty are being warned to expect delays and changed traffic conditions as a major summer road maintenance programme gets underway.

Sport Bay of Plenty chief executive Heidi Lichtwark will leave the organisation at the end of March 2027 after 24 years, including 13 years at the helm, as she prepares to relocate to another region.

Whakatāne District Council is replacing public yellow mixed-recycling bins with black bins that will accept aluminium cans only, in a move aimed at reducing contamination and increasing the amount of material that can be recycled.

Bay of Plenty teachers are bringing new digital technology skills into their classrooms after completing a specialist programme designed to build confidence in teaching technology.

Police have charged six people, including two youths, after a series of search warrants targeting attempts to establish new gang chapters in Ōpōtiki.

Born under a Whakatāne house and now sporting an All Blacks and Black Ferns-themed set of names, Ruby and her 11 puppies have had an unusual start to life.

The future shape of local government in the Eastern Bay of Plenty remains uncertain after Cabinet decided not to make decisions on individual Head Start proposals at this stage, with the proposals now expected to return to Cabinet for consideration in early 2027.

Motorists and pedestrians using Hillcrest Road are being advised to plan ahead this Friday, with temporary road closures scheduled while overgrown vegetation is cleared and drainage issues are addressed.

Tāneatua Road will fully close for just over two weeks from Saturday as Whakatāne District Council crews move into the next stage of a project aimed at making the flood-prone route more resilient.

Emergency services received reports of a crash around 12.45pm, involving a pedestrian on St John Street, near the Duke Street intersection.

A $110,320 grant is helping unlock the next stage of a major Māori-owned development at Te Whaiti, where plans are taking shape for new homes, food production and employment on the Tawhitiwhiti Block.