As house prices escalate rapidly around the country, Kawerau saw them more than double, the biggest nationwide increase over the decade. Alex Braae goes to the Bay of Plenty town to find out what impact it is having on renters. The headline figure was stark. Data from realestate.co.nz showed that over the last decade, Kawerau’s … Read more
Two electorates, seven candidates (including two recent National leaders) and 100 spaced-out audience members. Josie Adams reports from Tauranga. There were two debates for the price of one last night in Tauranga: the battle for the Tauranga electorate and the battle for Bay of Plenty were fought on the same Baycourt Theatre stage before a … Read more
The Bay of Plenty is synonymous with kiwifruit. With a large contingent of new workers moving in this season from Covid-displaced industries, Josie Adams asked what life is like for those who’ve been there for years. Under a very heavy tree in Tom French’s orchard waits a very heavy hedgehog. About a metre above the … Read more
Five people are dead, a number unaccounted for and up to 20 injured, some critically, after a volcano erupted in the Bay of Plenty this afternoon. Update 9.16pm: Police have confirmed that five people are dead following this afternoon’s Whakaari/White Island eruption. Deputy commissioner John Tims said it was too early to confirm nationalities but … Read more
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was the first in New Zealand to vote in Māori ward seats. This election, the region’s longest-standing Māori councillor is up against some fierce competition from a former broadcaster who’s already put his skills to use in a viral video. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by … Read more
National’s new agriculture spokesperson finds himself in one of the party’s most important portfolios, at a time of dramatically increasing tensions in the sector. Will Todd Muller, a man regularly mentioned as a future leader contender, find common ground? Todd Muller’s obsession with politics began with an American encyclopaedia, which his parents bought from a … Read more
Toi Kai Rākau Iti, who is running in the Eastern Bay of Plenty Kohi Māori constituency, encounters an unlikely channel of youth engagement. In te ao Māori you’re always looking for tohu, or symbols. They guide you through uncertain territory and help you make sense of the world. The arrival of Matariki? He tohu! A … Read more
Of all the would-bes stuck in minor party hell, the New Conservatives may be the horse that bolts on the back of opportunistic campaigning and culture wars. Alex Braae heads to the Bay of Plenty to watch their leader, Leighton Baker, in action. Leighton Baker strode purposely up to the front of the room when … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Seasonal peak hits fruit picking industry, massive data hole revealed in census response rate, and PM shuts down suggestions she’s backing Crusaders change. It appears pay rates for some seasonal fruit pickers have gone up, reports Stuff. You might recall perennial stories about workers not wanting to take … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: BOP Regional Council to investigate upgrading train lines, PM Ardern in China, and dozens of schools stuck using coal for heating. Choo choo for train lovers: The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is investigating a passenger rail system in and out of Tauranga, reports the Bay of Plenty … Read more
As our summer road trip season rounds to a close, Sarah Austen-Smith takes a whistle-stop tour of country cafes between Auckland and Wellington to see whether the grass really is greener in the regions. Black Stump Berries, Te Puke Pulling into Black Stump Berries in a seven-seater Toyota Highlander full of kids, my first thought … Read more