The focus of Government Ministers at present is very much on developing, and then rolling out, support packages for people affected

COMMENT: Air NZ announced it was pulling out of Whanganui. It sent a powerful message that Whanganui was not worthy of our national carrier's munificence.

The emergence of Bill English as National party leader and, therefore as Prime Minister, was in some ways almost a non-event. It did

Creativity has really come to the fore in this year's Christmas Appeal. One of my favourite parts of the job as appeal co-ordinator

Hundreds of kids were given bikes thanks to the generosity of the Tauranga community. Photo/Campbell Squared We all have our memories

If there is one hope I have for new mayor Greg Brownless and his new council, it is that they will seriously consider overhauling

My 12-year-old daughter and I took part in the Bay of Plenty Times can drive Monday night, collecting donations for the Tauranga Community

What are we to make of John Key's bombshell? Reactions will obviously vary according to the political views of those making them

Nigel Tutt Priority One chief executive 051216aw02bopBrett Hewlett Priority One chairman A_251016gn08bopStan Gregec Tauranga Chamber

I never would have thought I'd applaud a sexy underwear tycoon; that stuff's far too uncomfortable for real life. Try wearing a piece

Seventeen-thousand people were helped by the Tauranga Community Foodbank in the year to June. With an estimated population in Tauranga

Many foreign leaders will be trying to assess whether the Donald Trump they saw as a campaigner for the presidency is the same man

A mate of mine who is a top bloke and up for anything when it comes to finding out a bit of local knowledge, especially indigenous

Tak Chun Lai, principal tuba for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, played Vaughan Williams' Concerto for Tuba. PHOTO/SUPPLIED 081116spcm02.JPG Romancing

If a severe earthquake did affect Tauranga during work hours, thousands of Bay workers could die or be horrifically injured in collapsed

The tragic death of a 71-year-old American cyclist, killed by a truck on Tuesday, has thrown a spotlight on cyclists' safety concerns

Democracy is a privilege we must protect - it gives us ordinary people the freedom to have a say in who runs our cities and country. This

COMMENT: Watching the Havelock North water contamination debacle unfold is a salutary lesson in just how much power the dairy industry wields.

GOOD FROM BAD: Like all catastrophes where horror and hardship go hand in hand - there are heroes. PHOTO/MARK MITCHELL A_141116NZHMMEARTHQUAKE9.JPG What

Driverless cars - who would have thought that would ever be a possibility let alone a reality. On Friday, Transport Minister Simon

The devastating earthquake near Kaikoura has reignited discussion about whether tsunami sirens should be in place along our coastline. The

How could we have got it so wrong? The pollsters and the politicians, the analysts, theorists and columnists - especially this one

COMMENT: On the morning of Monday November 14, 2016, the best little city in the world got ripped apart.

Part of my life, as survivor of a chain of dead people, is custodian of family flotsam loaded with memories that become more fragile

It's a real shame. Don't worry, this is not another Trump opinion piece - if you're anything like me you have seen, read and heard

I'm not prepared for a natural disaster - the only time I ever have been is when a flatmate took it upon herself to set up a flat

Like many locals I turn my mobile off at night so the Civil Defence texts are of no use until I turn it back on. Please can we have

IN business it is important to have regular brainfests where people throw ideas into a melting pot to see what comes out. Sometimes

I've never seen such an outpouring of indignation on behalf of women than in the past month. It was as though Donald Trump's "grab

I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. I've slept through a volunteer fire brigade siren going off no more than 20m away and last night I slept