The two oystercatcher chicks who have made Mount Main Beach home, continue to grow well and are expected to spread their wings in a few short weeks.

After finding the hazardous remains of pallet fires on the strip of beach between Hart St and Oceanbeach Rd, Tauranga man Leigh Sefton raised his concerns and Tauranga City Council said it would investigate ways to clean up the mess.

Students are also aware of back-to-school costs.

Grandmother Barbara Baldock was at the tour with her grandchildren to see Brooke Fraser.

A bronze whaler was spotted in the Papamoa surf today. VIDEO/Samantha Sowter

A shark was spotted swimming in Papamoa today. VIDEO/Samantha Sowter

Protectionism is a deeply flawed approach to the technological revolution sweeping the world, Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller told the audience at his third annual "state of the nation" speech to Tauranga businesspeople and community leaders.

Learning about last week's burglary at Waipuna Hospice's depot sparked one local cafe to launch a community fundraiser to help raise funds for a replacement van.

A cancer victim, a charity and a rowing club are among the latest victims of burglars striking areas west of Tauranga in a crime spree that may be fuelled by drug addiction.

Despite predictions petrol prices will rise, Tauranga remains well below the national average.

A logging truck and car has crashed on one of Tauranga's busiest arterial routes.

An impassioned pre-Christmas plea from a Tauranga lawyer has resulted in a gift of new bikes for more than 60 children in Cambodia.

The National Surfing Championships held at Piha last week were another triumph for the talented Tawharu siblings.

Hundreds of people went to the Classics of the Sky show at Tauranga Airport.

The Bay of Plenty has experienced the strongest drop in people receiving the Sole Parent Support benefit in the country, dropping 9 per cent in December 2016 compared to December 2015.

After finding hundreds of nails, staples and pieces of glass in the beach he loves, a Tauranga man is worried coastal Mount Maunganui will be ruined if action isn't taken quickly to save it.

An Opotiki doctor is traveling to America to research how technology is changing rural healthcare in New Zealand. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

An Opotiki doctor is heading to America to research how technology is changing rural healthcare. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

More than 1500 Western Bay drivers were pinged for going less than 11km/h over the speed limit last Christmas, compared to only 38 in 2009, the year before police started enforcing a lower speed tolerance threshold.

Samoa and Japan lifted the intensity at Blake Park yesterday as they continue their Mount Maunganui training camps ahead of the Wellington Sevens next weekend.

The Bay will awake to a new US President tomorrow morning as Donald Trump becomes the world's most powerful man.

Omanawa Falls is still packed with trespassers, with dozens of people at a time visiting the dangerous spot despite an official closure for safety reasons. VIDEO/SUPPLIED

An ammonia leak at a Mount Maunganui coolstore sparked the evacuation of a dozens of businesses in the area yesterday.

Jazz fans will be treated to the excitement of a new location for the final day of this year's 55th annual Jazz Festival.

A little known rebellion that led to the destruction of a Maori settlement 150 years ago was commemorated today in the foothills of the Kaimai Range. It marked the day that colonial forces first attacked Te Irihanga, a papakainga or village inland from Whakamarama. We were there.

Nearly 130,000 people climbed to the top of Mauao over the past five weeks compared to just 39,461 people who walked only the base track in the same time frame. We catch up with Tauranga City Council parks asset co-ordinator Dave Grimmer who get a feel for why.

Meet the Tauranga dragonboat team with a special bond. All the women have had partial or full mastectomies. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

We take a look inside a nude Baycourt Theatre, having had all of its seats removed to make way for more comfortable replacements. Manager Megan Peacock Coyle shows us around.

What happens when a town triples in size overnight? Made with funding from NZ On Air.