Stories by Alisha Evans

Murray Guy was ejected from a tumultuous Tauranga City Council meeting because he refused to stop speaking from the public gallery.

Garth Mathieson is one of 11 people who have had their request to speak in public forum at a Tauranga City Council meeting turned down by commission chairperson Anne Tolley.

Applause then waiata rang out from the packed public gallery as the councillors voted nine to three in favour of Māori wards.

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council says it did not have warnings it needed to deuce the impact of flooding in Waihī Beach - but MetService and locals say it did.

Waihī Beach residents attended a community meeting last week to vent their concerns after flash floods ripped through the seaside town just under a month ago.

Tauranga residents are facing a rates rise of 9.4 percent from July, but the council was still "losing ground", as this was lower than the costs it was facing.

"Utterly devastated" and "horrified" is how people have reacted to fee hikes for Tauranga community facilities.

Parking in Tauranga's city centre will be free on Saturdays and after 5pm on weekdays after it was found charging affected the number of visitors.

There has been a 47 percent increase in sewer overflows in the Bay of Plenty between 2020 and 2022.

Whareroa Marae took its concerns about pollutants affecting its people to the city and regional councils, calling for the managed retreat of heavy industry from their whenua.

The cost of storm damage to the Western Bay of Plenty district will be between $15 million and $20m after Cyclone Gabrielle and severe weather in January swept through the region.

Trees are down and people were evacuated from their homes, but the damage isn't "huge" for the Western Bay of Plenty after cyclone Gabrielle swept across Aotearoa.

A family whose dog spent nine months in the pound is calling for the council to reinstate visitation for owners.

Residents of a rural road in Te Puke have been struggling for 10 years to get safety improvements to their road.

Guests at a Tauranga hotel are being welcomed to the city with the threat of a parking fine.

Bay of Plenty principals have spoken out about a "rapidly declining interest" in principalship as pay negotiations halt for the holidays.

People living in cars and garages could have had warm new homes but "dithering" from the council has prevented this from happening, it is being claimed.

The government's Resource Management Act reforms promise to be cheaper, faster and better but two Bay of Plenty councils have expressed their concerns about how this will be achieved.

The "failure" of Waka Kotahi to deliver transport infrastructure is causing "serious frustration" for Tauranga City Council as it attempts to open up more land for development. Plans are underway...

"Hands Off Baypark Speedway" is the message splashed across bumper stickers, a billboard and social media as Tauranga's speedway is facing possible eviction from its current site by 2029.

The Tauranga community has shown overwhelming support for a cultural centre that will tell the story of the New Zealand land wars.

The Western Bay of Plenty's new mayor James Denyer is "thrilled" to have won, but didn't want to celebrate too early because it was a "tough race".

Tauranga City Council has formalised an agreement to return a parcel of land in the city centre to mana whenua to right a historic grievance.

Two years of free on-street parking in Tauranga's city centre will end at the start of December in a bid to encourage a higher turnover of car parks.

A Bay of Plenty regional councillor has questioned whether the council's $38million spend on public transport is a good investment, as the council considers upping this by $19m over the next decade.