Stories by Charlotte Jones

All options are still on the table for Whakatāne Mill, says East Coast MP Kiri Allan following meetings with unions, staff, and the leadership board.

Iwi have made it clear they will not be participating in the "desecration" of their sacred, ancestral lands, set to be developed for housing.

An ancient urupa where bodies are ferried by waka is at the centre of resource consent clash in Whakatane.

One resident remains defiant as Eastern Bay councils prepare to officially end rights to live in the area of Matatā devastated by a debris flow in 2005.

Māori ward campaigners are thrilled the Labour government is using urgency to push through a bill to get rid of a public veto on Māori wards.

An apology has been made and accepted after a Grey Power newsletter labelled a councillor's use of te reo Māori at a meeting an "insult".

The Ōpōtiki mayor will be doing "random checks" on businesses using QR codes to ensure her community is kept safe in light of recent community cases of Covid-19 in Northland.

A Māori councillor is withdrawing his complaint to the Race Relations Commissioner over an "insulting" Grey Power newsletter ahead of a meeting with its author.

A councillor will take a complaint to the Race Relations Commissioner after his use of the Māori language to perform a karakia at a Grey Power meeting was labelled an "insult".

Work should begin in the next few months to replace Tāneatua Police Station, destroyed by fire two years ago, which will have a space for for community hui and a cup of tea.

Whakatāne council has apologised to iwi after "appropriating" a slogan used to fight water bottling consents in the district.

Monster fatburgs discovered in a Whakatāne sewer will take days to remove and cost ratepayers thousands.

There is little festive cheer among pensioners living in Ōpōtiki's Peria House flats, who say they will now have to go without because of the rent increase.

Sean Plunket on the company's Magic Afternoons radio show breached discrimination and denigration standards, and had the potential to cause widespread harm, the BSA has found.

After finding immense success with its rangatahi hub, Te Puna Ora o Mataatua is looking to replicate the magic with its new adult health and medical academy.

A group of residents is feeling invisible after Ōpōtiki District Council turned down an offer to help seal their road because councillors thought no-one lived on it.

Matata residents' fight for their homes has come to an end.

The Whakaari/White Island tragedy left an imprint on the community and its leaders, who on the eve of the one year anniversary remember those who died and those who helped.

First it was roaming horses. Now Ōpōtiki has its own wandering emu, who on Sunday could be seen dodging cars, kids on bikes and local law enforcement.

Kawerau council staff have rated the threat of violence and abuse from the public as their top safety concern.

Despite most councillors believing Ōpōtiki District Council has no need for Māori wards, they have decided to ask the community what it thinks and will be undertaking a poll at the 2022 elections.

Three Whakatāne women who led the charge for Māori wards in the district are ecstatic legislation change has been signalled.

Ngāti Awa iwi is opposing plans for a petrol station near Whakatāne, four months after battling two resource consents in the Rotorua High Court.

Ōpōtiki may be a small town, but it has scored more from the Provincial Growth Fund than several large regions.

Whakatāne District Council recently signed an agreement with The Drug Detection Agency to provide all drug and alcohol screening for staff in "safety sensitive areas".