A crash which blocked one of the Bay of Plenty's busiest highways this morning was caused by a driver stopping to allow ducklings to cross the road.

A truck driver was quick to help rescue a woman trapped in her upside-down car.

The man killed in a crash on State Highway 2 near Pongakawa yesterday morning has been named as Martin John Ferry of Tauranga, police said.

A Te Puke restaurant owner has done an about-turn after trialling a no-doggy-bag policy over a couple days.

A Te Puke store worker has been rattled by a terrifying armed robbery.

River, the puppy saved by a Bay primary school student last year, has settled in with her rescuer's family and grown into a lovable, large dog.

A wetland of national significance on Papamoa's doorstep is planned to increase to provide more habitat for threatened plants and animals.

Only a small proportion of houses in Tauranga's biggest suburbs are going for under $450,000.

A man who collapsed and died after being handcuffed this week has been named.

An investigation is underway after a man collapsed while in police handcuffs and later died.

A woman died after trying to do a U-turn when a logging truck struck her vehicle outside of Te Puke this morning, police say.

A hitchhiker has been seriously injured after being hit by a car in the western Bay of Plenty this morning.

A large fire has engulfed a cool store and pack house building near Te Puke overnight.

Police helped a family member administer CPR to a 12-year-old boy found with a life-threatening chest wound at a Bay of Plenty property this afternoon.

Former cop and convicted rapist Brad Shipton has a rare and aggressive form of dementia.

Te Puke was decked out in pink as locals came out in force to congratulate MasterChef winners Kasey and Karena Bird.

A fire in Te Puke caused significant damage to a 120 square metre house in the early hours of this morning.

An eighty-three-year-old's theft of almost $215,000 in benefit payments was only uncovered when she was seriously injured in a crash with a fuel tanker.

Emergency services are rushing to the scene of a car crash in Te Puke where one person is trapped.