Bay Of Plenty

The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to review costs.

Rotorua is wrestling with a costly dilemma: how to keep the pipes flowing after years of what one councillor describes as "chronic underspending".

The Bay of Plenty/Waikato Magic have held on for a thrilling 52-49 win over the Northern Stars.

The Bay of Plenty city will hold its first election in almost five years - and there's expected to be a lot of interest.

Dead birds and fish, and "out of control" lillies are pushing residents along a lake in Whakatāne over the edge.

The city centre is undergoing a major transformation and while businesses can see the good in it, they are battling to stay in the game in the meantime. Audio

It's similar to an incident four years ago that resulted in 300 tonnes of weed being removed at a cost of $35,000.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has also rejected the commission's recommendation that a Crown observer be put in place.

Tauranga is "not coping" with its biggest issue, its commission chairperson Anne Tolley says. Audio

Beggars "physically accosted" 10 Aussie tourists at a cafe last week, claims a Rotorua councillor arguing it is time to "seriously consider" a begging ban.

Police have released the name of the man who died after running into the sea at Mt Maunganui on 15 April.

A man is being airlifted to hospital after losing his kayak and spending almost 24 hours in the bush.

It has been four years since Tauranga had a council but the city will finally have local elections again in July.

The wife of a late Rotorua councillor is pleading with the council not to shelve her late husband's dream of a skatepark.

The major development is part of a push to get residents back into the heart of the city.