Bay Of Plenty

Three people have died in separate crashes in Te Puke, Hamilton and North Otago today.

First-time parking offenders who disputed their ticket will have their fines waived in a gesture of "goodwill" as the council acknowledges "issues" with Rotorua's parking system.

Whakaari / White Island remains in an steady elevated state of unrest, but no further lava has come to the surface.

Two men, aged 19 and 23, have been arrested following a series of incidents involving firearms and damage to property in the western Bay of Plenty, police say.

The police are looking at stepping up patrols in the Western Bay of Plenty after two shootings in Tauranga and Te Puke.

Residents at a Fenton Park retirement home are petitioning the council over a recent influx of heavy vehicles using their street. Video

The two people whose bodies were still unrecovered after the eruption at Whakaari have been confirmed dead by the Chief Coroner.

Rotorua's homeless will be moved out of parks and reserves if they pose a risk to public safety in a move their advocates say will leave vulnerable people with "nowhere to go".

Fire and Emergency has apologised to Bay of Plenty locals after a number of its sirens that went off last night prompted fear of a tsunami. Audio

Oliver Dobbin says it's impossible not to think of the eruption which killed 20 people when he looks out at the island from Ōhope Beach.

A kōhanga reo has won an award after being challenged to come up with initiatives to promote oral health to tamariki and their whānau.

A former farmer and forestry worker says he is "genuinely concerned" that a tree near a playground in a Rotorua park will fall and "kill someone".

A Rotorua Lakes councillor claims the mayor offered him a leadership role - but only if he quit a ratepayer lobby group that has criticised her leadership.

White Island Tours has started taking people to Moutohorā/Whale Island for the first time since the Whakaari/White Island eruption five weeks ago.

Whakaari-White Island still remains in an elevated state of unrest after a major eruption in early December that took the lives of 20 people.

A large native bird with very particular nesting habits has begun returning to Dansey Scenic Reserve near Rotorua after a seven-year pest control effort. Audio

Families of victims of the eruption are preparing to mark a month since the devastating blast that took the lives of 19 people. Meanwhile, 26 others are still in hospital recovering.

As we enter a new year, we caught up with several elected members from across the Eastern Bay to get their thoughts and reflections on the last year and the year ahead.