Stories by Libby Kirkby-McLeod

They say the closure of the Greerton store in the village centre will particularly impact elderly in the community.

Insect enthusiast Norm Twigge volunteers at a Tauranga butterfly house and has never seen numbers so low. Audio

Three months after the Tauranga city council elections, several candidates still haven't filed their expenses and donation returns.

Tom Phillips and his three children have been missing since December 2021. Here's what we know so far.

"With the weather funnelling in basically directly from the east, that rain is going to linger," MetService says.

However, the South Waikato town of Tokoroa is still one of the worst in the country when it comes to hazardous particles in the air.

South Waikato mayor Gary Petley says his language after a tense debate was not directed at anyone, but realises it may have appeared to be directed at a fellow councillor.

Councillors are questioning why a mayor's changes leave no women in charge of committees, despite making up half the council.

It comes as central government directs councils to "rein in the fantasies" and get back to core business.

Lisa Quarrie says recent years for her Hamilton businesses have been even harder than during the global financial crisis.

South Waikato District Council next week will debate whether Anzac memorial events and Christmas parades are core council business they should help fund - or not. Audio

The department responsible for managing contaminated sites on public land has had $8m slashed from its budget over the next four years.

The volcano is going through an "extended active period". What does that mean?

The city will use electric vans with no set stops to replace large diesel buses.

It will help accurately identify dogs that are - and are not - involved in attacks, it says.

Asbestos found in concrete earmarked for recycling in Taupō has raised questions about the viability of concrete recycling across the country.

The ammo could have blown up at several points with catastrophic results, a staff member says. Audio

Hauraki District Council mayor Toby Adams said the community has spoken.

Only one of the six candidates from the council sacked by the government in 2021 has returned to council.

Many are still doing their research before selecting the city's first mayor and councillors in years.

But Mahé Drysdale says he has worked in the city, grew up there and, if elected, will move at the end of the year.

A new retirement village in Mount Maunganui is upsetting neighbours and drawing attention to fast-tracking legislation.

Voting papers will start going out this weekend to residents of Tauranga for the city's first local body elections in nearly five years, with four of the mayoral candidates facing off in a debate last…

Many people have opinions about where Tom Phillips and his children have been for the past two years, but few could tell you much about the tiny settlement of Marokopa.

On the same day that nominations for the council election closed, unelected commissioners sent a letter to the government asking it to overrule independent planning recommendations.