Today we start a month-by-month series highlighting the news that shaped 2010.
January 2:
A sad start to the 2010 new year as two are dead in separate New Year's Eve crashes on Bay of Plenty roads.
The incidents, which happened within 45 minutes of each another, claimed the lives of two men. The first casualty was a motorist who lost control after speeding through a police checkpoint. The second was a man involved in a head-on collision after crossing the centre line.
Inspector Scott Fraser of the Eastern Bay of Plenty police said until New Year's Eve the holiday period road toll had been relatively low.
"It's a huge shame for everyone who will be impacted by these two accidents - the family and friends of those killed and injured, as well as police and other emergency services who attended the crashes."
January 4:
Rotorua welcomed its first baby of the year after Nathan Mathew Stewart James was born at 7:53am at Rotorua Hospital.
Weighing 4.4kg (9lb) and measuring 53cm long he arrived one day before his due date.
Nathan is the third child to parents Alex and Cliff James and youngest brother to sister Leah, 4 and brother Declan, 15 months.
Mrs James said she was surprised to learn her new son was the first 2010 baby for the city.
"I was shocked actually, surprised."
January 12:
Donna Rauwhero, who stole mail valued between $500 and $1000 while working as a Rotorua postie, has been given 180 hours' community work.
Rauwhero, whose offence was described in court as a breach of trust, would open mail on her delivery rounds with the intention of keeping anything of value.
The police summary of facts stated Rauwhero would sort mail at the New Zealand Post Mail Sorting Centre and prepare it for delivery. As she delivered mail she opened items of interest stealing things like vouchers and throwing away letters and photographs she didn't want.
Judge Weir said the offending began at the start of last year and continued until October 2009 when her thieving was discovered.
January 15:
A man who killed his brother by almost severing his head, stuffed the body in a wheelie bin before taking a shower.
Pomare Mason, 44, was killed by his younger adopted sibling 22-year-old Whairiri Tamataonui Terewa after a fist fight erupted between the two during an argument about ownership of a house.
Terewa pleaded guilty to murder in the Whakatane District Court. He was convicted by Judge Peter Rollo and remanded in custody until February 17 for sentencing in the High Court at Rotorua.
January 16:
Australian Idol winner Stan Walker will perform at this month's Lakeside concert in Rotorua.
Lakeside's "Hollywood Comes to Vegas" organiser Monty Morrison said he was rapt when Walker's manager confirmed the star would be attending the event.
"Obviously we are elated and thrilled that we have been able to secure an artist who is ranked number one in Australasia. We have never been able to achieve this before."
The idea to invite Walker came from a meeting when a staff member suggested it would be wonderful to get Walker to perform in Rotorua.
Mr Morrison said organisers contacted Walker's mother in December and she confirmed this week that her son would be at Lakeside.
January 18:
Rotorua's Inia Maxwell met Hollywood stars when he gave haka instructions to cast members of the film Invictus.
The Rotorua cultural expert was flown to Johannesburg to train actors representing the All Blacks in a reconstruction of the 1995 rugby world cup final.
The movie is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks captain Francois Pienaar.
Mr Maxwell said he was humbled to be part of making the film.
"It was pretty amazing for me to work with actors of that calibre.
"The actors were champing at the bit to get into it. It was good to have people who were so happy to have this opportunity to learn this formidable dance."
January 22:
Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing will receive $600,000 in funding announced by Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism John Key.
Efforts to bring Australian tourists into Rotorua and the central North Island received a total of more $2 million.
In Rotorua the money will be used for a major campaign in the Sydney market. Advertising for the competition that will see 100 Australians flying from Sydney to Rotorua in May has begun.
Destination Rotorua Tourism Marketing general manager Don Gunn said it would be fantastic for the industry as it came out of the recent challenging recessionary times.
"The pool of money will make a significant difference in our primary market - Australia."
January 23:
Today 30,000 festivalgoers are expected at the Rotorua International Stadium for the 10-hour music reggae music festival Raggamuffin.
The line-up includes international artists Julian Marley, Lauryn Hill, Shaggy and Sean Kingston as well as New Zealand's Katchafire and House of Shem. Rotorua Event Venues operations manager Crispian Stewart said the organising side of the event had gone well.
He said 160 security officers would be based inside the festival while another 50 would be patrolling the surrounding area.
Rotorua police, St John Ambulance staff and firefighters would also be on site.
Food and beverage manager Robert Prior said a wide variety of food would be available at Raggamuffin such as seafood, shaved ham, hot drinks, Indian and vegetarian food as well as 35 food outlets with 250 food and beverage staff.
January 30:
More than 30,000 people flocked to Rotorua's Village Green with their picnics to enjoy the free Lakeside 2010 Hollywood goes to Vegas concert.
For more than a year Tim Beveridge has been working hard with musicians, entertainers, dancers and the Lakeside Trust to get his vision of bringing a touch of Hollywood to Rotorua.
He says this year's concert is a great mixture of experienced and new talent including Stan Walker, Elizabeth Marvelly, Tony Williams and a tribute to Sir Howard Morrison.
"I think Rotorua should realise Lakeside is completely unique," Mr Beveridge said.