A year in review: May 2014

Western Bay singer and TV presenter Ria Hall; MasterChef winners Karena (left) and Kasey Bird. Photos / Jess Dewsnap, George Novak

Today we continue our 2014 Year in Review with a wrap-up of the big stories that happened in May

Big rise likely
An estimated 30,000 homes will be built in Tauranga by 2041 to deal with a predicted population explosion, a council report says. SmartGrowth data indicates that the population of about 120,000 people may jump 45 per cent to an estimated 175,000. Many of the homes will be in Papamoa, Pyes Pa, Welcome Bay, Ohauiti, Pukemapu and Mount Maunganui.

$45m project
A marine precinct in Tauranga could pump $45 million into the region's economy each year and resurrect an industry that died seven years ago when the slipway was closed to make room for the Harbour Link. Economists predict that 195 people would be employed at the precinct, 35 of whom would be from existing operations at the site and 49 from relocations. Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker said the $10 million proposal for Sulphur Point included a 200-tonne travel lift, which would be the largest in New Zealand.

Slow but sure
Matt Ruddell said it was the little things that are getting him through, as his two young children slowly recover in Starship Hospital from a horror car crash that killed their mother, Tracey O'Brien, 26, in a car crash at Te Puna on May 3. Fait, 3, suffered bruising on her brain and a broken leg while Phoenix, 4, was in a 75 per cent body cast with two broken legs and a broken arm and pelvis. The children returned to Tauranga on May 19. Almost $11,000 has been raised for Faith and Phoenix through Givealittle and Mr Ruddell planned to use some of these funds to to take the children on a trip.

Happy return
Tears of joy flowed when Maketu sisters Kasey and Karena Bird won MasterChef New Zealand and Te Puke was decked out in pink as locals came out in force to congratulate the pair when they hit the town on May 9. Karena said they had been preparing themselves for the public reaction in the six months since filming finished and were ready to share it with everyone but were overwhelmed with the response. Maketu Primary welcomed them with a haka.

Grand entry
Tauranga Girls' College student Kirsten Holmes, 17, hitched a ride on a crane to the school ball thanks to her determined grandmother, Val Baker, who wanted the teenager to make a grand entrance. In 2007 Mrs Baker hired a helicopter for Kirsten's brother, Bryce, to arrive in style for his second-to-last day of primary school.

Rising again
The remnants of Tauranga's first bakery could become a permanent feature in a central city park. Two baker's ovens, one thought to be 150 years old, were discovered by contractors working on the Masonic Park upgrade and archaeologists from Heritage NZ had been on site clearing dirt away from the remnants of the Phoenix Bakery and Cheap Grocery Store owned by the Butt brothers. Council staff were working with Heritage NZon how the find could be preserved and left on display as part of the park upgrade.

High note
Western Bay singer Ria Hall signed with international music label Sony. The signing was really exciting and felt pretty surreal, said 31-year-old Hall, who grew up in Maungatapu. She previously told the Bay of Plenty Times that singing with fellow Bay-born Stan Walker at Beyonce's New Zealand concerts had been the highlight of her career so far.

Combined effort
More than 200 locals filled the seats at the Pongakawa School Action Centre to watch the premiere screening of the trailer for Te Puke's first feature film, The Z-Nail Gang. Pukehina couple Anton and Kylie DellaBarca Steel, the director and producer, said the film, now in post-production, would not have been possible without huge goodwill from the local community. Described as a "feel-good action-comedy with a conscience", The Z-Nail Gang is based on the crazy but true mining protests in Coromandel 20 years ago.