1XX POSTS

Bay of Plenty parents are being urged to follow proper disposal steps for the coloured play sand products recalled by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. "We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children may cause worry for parents and caregivers. We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available," Health NZ say. "At this stage we d

Councils across the Bay of Plenty have set up dedicated drop-off sites for the coloured sand products which have been recalled across the country by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

One lucky Lotto player who bought their ticket at New World Kawerau is now one of New Zealand’s newest millionaires after the weekend’s Must Be Won Powerball draw. The winning ticket purchased in Kawerau shared the historic $55 million prize on Saturday night with two others, taking home $18.3 million dollars. The prizes are made up of $18,333,333 from Powerball First Division and $55,556 from Lotto First Division, making each total prize $18,388,889. The three winners matche

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Ōpōtiki District Council has set aside funding in its 2024-34 Long Term Plan to improve quality of water supplied to the Te Kaha drinking water scheme. The scheme currently sees 270,000 liters of water supplied daily to households and businesses across Te Kaha. Council’s Group Manager Service Delivery, Nathan Hughes, said due to the shallow depth of the water wells in Te Kaha and their proximity to the Puremutahuri stream, the quality of the source water is often affected dur

One lucky Lotto player in Whakatāne will be celebrating this weekend after winning with Lotto Second Division in last night's live draw. The person won $32,541 in Lotto Second Division alongside 20 other lucky players across the country. The winning ticket in Whakatāne had been purchased on MyLotto. Anyone who bought their ticket from MyLotto should check it as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto App. Powerball was not struck last night and rolls ove

Police have arrested and charged a third man in relation to the death of Tristan Oakes in Te Puke last month. 29-year-old Oakes died in hospital on October 25th, after being critically injured when shot at his Te Puke home. Police investigating the murder arrested a 24-year-old Te Puke man yesterday and charged him with murder. "This brings the total number of people charged with murder to three,"   Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Flowerdew-Brown says. "In addition, Police

Earth Sciences New Zealand say Whakaari/White Island remains in a low-level eruptive phase as intermittent ash emission from the active vent continues following the two small, low energy eruptions on October 30th. "This is characterised by a steam and gas plume sometimes carrying minor amounts of volcanic ash. The amount of volcanic ash present is minor and often difficult to detect, depending on cloud cover," Duty Volcanologist Paul Jarvis says. "Between 2 and 6 November, ou

The Department of Conservation says dog attacks on seals and sea lions are occurring most frequently in the Eastern Region of the North Island.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is continuing to assess the potential risk to groundwater quality in the Harbour Road area of Ōhope. It follows confirmation earlier this month of an unauthorised wastewater discharge in a local property.   Baseline water samples were collected last week from five nearby properties with high-risk bores. "These samples are part of a broader groundwater sampling programme in the area that will continue over the next four weeks, to ensure results a

Police are calling for any information from the public after a man was seriously assaulted in his Ōpōtiki home earlier this morning. The incident is under investigation after the man sustained serious injuries from the assault, which Police believe involved several offenders. "The man has been transported to hospital and enquiries are underway to identify and locate those responsible for the assault," a Police spokesperson says. "A scene guard is in place at the house where t

Eastern Bay fire crews were kept busy last night with two vegetation fires across the region. Fire and Emergency were first alerted to a vegetation fire in dunes at Coastlands, Whakatāne just before 9pm. Three fire crews from Whakatane and Eastern Bay responded and left the incident just before 10pm. "The incident is believed to have involved fireworks," a Fire and Emergency spokesperson says. Crews were later alerted to trees on fire in Whanarua Bay, between Te Kaha and Waih

Police are asking for the public’s help to identify and locate two people following the ram raid at Whakatāne's Town Centre Dairy last month. Around 1am on Friday, October 24, the pair forced their way into the Boon Street store, causing significant damage. Police were called several hours later, but the offenders had already fled. Town Centre Dairy Owner Julie Perez says the store was closed for repairs for more than a week, costing more than $2000 a day in lost revenue. She

Earth Sciences New Zealand are keeping an eye on Whakaari/White Island following a further eruption last Thursday (30th October). Observations from the GeoNet cameras showed another small-low energy eruption occurred around 6.40pm Thursday evening, following the eruption recorded earlier in the day at around 12:30pm. "From the webcams, the second of those eruptions deposited ash close to the island over the short period of the eruption," Duty Volcanologist, Agnes Mazot says.

Earth Sciences New Zealand have raised the Volcanic Alert Level for Whakaari/White Island following a possible eruption yesterday afternoon. Observations from the GeoNet cameras showed that a possible small-low energy eruption occurred yesterday at around 12:30pm. "Our colleagues at MetService have not detected volcanic ash in the observed plumes using satellite imagery. The event seems to have lasted for a few minutes and is now over," Duty Volcanologist, Agnes Mazot says. T

Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Senior Maritime Officer Daniel Bramley is asking the public for any information regarding a life ring and light which was removed from the Harbourmaster vessel in Whakatāne over the weekend. The vessel, 'Te Kauika' is berthed at C2 on the main commercial wharf (Gibbo’s Wharf). Bramley says he has narrowed down the time the items went missing to 1200 Friday 24th to approximately 1900 Saturday 25th. "The life ring is bright orange with the name

A major new water reservoir above Ōtūmahi Lane in Te Teko is now complete, marking a significant milestone in water resilience for the Edgecumbe and Te Teko communities.

PAK'nSAVE checkout operator Teri Rangi has come first place in the Tauranga Regional Checkout Operator of the Year competition.

Senior leaders from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora are meeting with Eastern Bay communities this week, providing updates on their progress toward restoring secondary maternity services at Whakatāne Hospital. The first of three community hui was held at the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall last night (21st October), led by Te Manawa Taki Executive Regional Director, Cath Cronin. Further meetings are scheduled for Kawerau tonight (22nd October) and Ōpōtiki tomorrow (23rd October).

Whakatāne Intermediate School has completed the final stage of its auditorium upgrade, with the installation of a state-of-the-art digital wall.