Te Paea and Ray Smith pictured at the railway crossing on Hewletts Road where their daughter, Jorja-Ray (11), was tragically killed by a train.
Bay of Plenty Times is looking back at the stories of 2023. Here’s what made headlines in August
August 11
Students have become “too scared to go to the toilet” at school because vapers are taking over the bathrooms to puff on electric cigarettes.
Bay of Plenty education leaders say vaping in schools is of “high concern”, with one principal saying stronger government regulations are needed to stop young people from accessing vapes.
The Ministry of Education says toilets should be available for safe use during school hours and consequences for vaping on school grounds depended on each school’s rules.
An early investor in a potentially $100 million fund setting out to tackle Bay of Plenty housing inequalities says it has “massive potential for change”.
The Housing Equity Fund has been established with $40m in total provisionally invested from Bay Trust, TECT, the Tauranga City Council, Rotorua Trust and the Whakatāne-based Trust Horizon.
The fund has a minimum initial goal of $100m, including borrowing, but it hoped to grow this by producing enough return to attract more investors including some with “billions of dollars”.
Four weeks after a young girl was hit and killed by a train in Mount Maunganui, her grieving mother says “zig-zag” railing “might have saved her life”.
Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, died when she was struck by a train at a level crossing while biking home from Mount Maunganui Intermediate School on July 31.
Her mother, Te Paea Smith, is now calling for safety improvements at the crossing, including the installation of barriers for pedestrians and cyclists, “zig-zag” railing and a timetable change for trains travelling through the area.
“I just don’t want another child to be killed there,” she said
Te Paea and Ray Smith pictured in August at the railway crossing on Hewlett's Road where their daughter Jorja-Ray was tragically killed by a train. Photo / Alex Cairns.
The owner of a 20-year-old business closing its doors 18 months after moving to the Tauranga CBD says roadworks and parking issues have left it “sinking into a black hole”.
Other businesses on First Ave blame the same issues for lower customer numbers, one cafe owner saying it is “running on dry” after months of construction disruption.
They are the latest businesses to raise concerns since construction started in April 2021 on the major council-led project to update ageing pipes and utilities, and improve travel options along Cameron Rd.
