Three cars were destroyed in a suspicious fire outside a Papamoa East home last year. Photo / NZME
Three cars were destroyed in a suspicious fire outside a Papamoa East home last year. Photo / NZME
The Bay of Plenty Times is looking back at the stories of 2020. This is what made headlines in February.
February 2:
Notorious international bikie gang the Mongols arrived in the Bay of Plenty last year with a reputation for ruthless violence in Australia and the United States. Police and gang experts warned of the potential for conflict as the numbers of patched gang members exploded across the country.
Donna Love has been trapped in transitional housing for more than a year and now finally has a home. Photo / File
February 14:
A possible double-murder suspect has been shot dead by police after a wild shootout and car chase that unfolded around families out walking in central Tauranga.
Police shot dead on Thursday evening the man they wanted to speak to in relation to a double homicide at McLaren Falls, near Tauranga, this week.
Police search State Highway 2 after a man was shot while fleeing police. Photo / File
February 18:
Jessielee Booth was a woman who was always smiling and would light up a room.
The 30-year-old loved her job and was believed to be heading back to work once her maternity leave ended. But she would never return.
February 20:
The arrival of a $400 million plasterboard manufacturing and distribution facility to Tauranga is expected to create about 100 permanent jobs for the city.
Fletcher Building has announced it will relocate its Auckland-based Winstone Wallboards manufacturing and distribution operation to Tauranga.
Industrial building on fire at Firth on Macrae Ave, Mount Maunganui. Photo / File
February 21:
An industrial fire in Mount Maunganui was in a cement tower under demolition at the now unoperational Firth plant.
Thick black smoke and flames were seen coming from the building on Macrae Ave just before midday today. The fire is now under control.
February 23:
The cousin of New Zealander Rowan Baxter, who murdered his three children and wife, Hannah Clarke, in a deliberately lit car fire - says he had a series of affairs and had a dangerous sense of possession and entitlement.
Sandra Taylor says Baxter, who took his own life after killing his family, had a degrading view of women that fuelled his rage.
Former league player Rowan Baxter, originally from Tauranga, with his wife, Hannah, and children at home in Brisbane in January 2020. Photo / File
February 26:
A signage error has been given as one of the reasons for a $124,000 overspend on Mount Maunganui's controversial Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka urban park.
And it's not the only council project that needed more money to finish the job, with Durham St coming in an extra $375,000 over its already significantly increased budget.
Te Papa O Nga Manu Porotakataka in Mount Maunganui. Photo / File
February 27:
Twenty-two Whakatāne Hospital staff members have taken leave as a result of issues arising from the Whakaari White Island eruption.
This comes as the Bay of Plenty District Health Board releases its Whakaari White Island Recovery Plan which outlines the organisation's emergency response to the eruption, the recovery plan going forward, current issues and future possible risks.
February 29:
Tauranga residents have been warned of hundreds of dollars in rates rises, asset sales, and project cuts which could be on the table the city faces a financial reckoning.
The fastest-growing city in New Zealand is struggling to fund new infrastructure and nearing its debt to revenue ratio limit, the city's leaders confirmed today.
