What we now know as the bustling classic aircraft museum in Mount Maunganui was once just an idea in pilot Andrew Gormlie’s head 21 years ago, when he still had a head of hair. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Tauranga SPCA is putting out an urgent call for donations of wool or polar fleece blankets and towels to help keep its puppies warm through the colder months. 🔗Full story via link in bio

People working in top jobs at charities responding to poverty say the choice of giving food or money to those asking for help is tough and they often feel conflicted. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A bold new youth web series is putting the call out to tamariki and rangatahi who prefer mud over memes and bush tracks over TikTok. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Hamish McGrannachan was heading to work in an Uber when he got the call that his family’s home was on fire. “We ended [up] following one of the fire trucks ... to our property. All I could do was stand back and watch our home burn.” 🔗Full story via link in bio

A boat in a perilous position moored in Tauranga Harbour is drawing attention from locals. A police spokesperson said they were notified of a boat sinking in the harbour at about 2.45pm on Monday. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Ongoing parking issues in Mount Maunganui – including being completely full at peak times – had led Tauranga City Council to try to find out-of-the-box solutions. 🔗Full story via link in bio

About 80 school-age kart racers, aged from 7 to 17 and coming from schools all around the country, will descend on the Western Bay of Plenty this month to vie for national titles in their respective classes. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A surge in Bay of Plenty whooping cough cases among babies and small children is causing concern among health professionals. A national whooping cough epidemic was declared in November. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Tauranga karters filled the podiums at the National School Karting Championships. 🔗Full story via link in bio

“Here at the circus, we always have more…” the lady ringmaster told the crowd under the big top tent at Mercury Baypark on Friday night. We’d just watched a man fly out of a human cannon ball and they were offering more... 🔗Full story via link in bio

Speedway will continue to race at Baypark in Tauranga giving the sport “certainty and longevity”. Councillors approved extending Speedway Racing Ltd’s lease at Mercury Baypark Stadium until 2039 at a Tauranga City Council meeting this week. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Welcome Bay dog rescuer Billie Te Tau is on a mission to educate Tauranga residents on being safe around roaming dogs. Te Tau started Bilbo’s Dogpaws Rescue from her home in 2011. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A new children’s series is giving tamariki the chance to take the pilot’s seat. ‘Fly My Pepeha’ brings together te reo Māori, drone technology, and tamariki-led storytelling. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A group of skiers had to be rescued after triggering an avalanche which buried two people - one who only had their hand protruding from the snow. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Poor welding led to a cargo ship’s rudder breaking off as the vessel left Tauranga Harbour, an investigation has found. Only the swift actions of the crew stopped the 177m, fully-loaded Achilles Bulker from grounding. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Just three years ago, Whakatāne’s Rachel Weatherly was thriving on a football scholarship in the United States. Today, at 23, she’s battling a complex and debilitating medical condition that has robbed her of her sporting dreams. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A private helicopter reportedly experienced “violent shaking” just before it crashed in eastern Bay of Plenty. Emergency services were alerted to the crash, which left three people injured on a rural residential property between Matatā and Thornton. 🔗Full story via link in bio

A large armed police operation is underway in the Bay of Plenty town of Maketū. Police have cordoned off Maketū Rd and there was a “huge police presence” in the area, according to one motorist stuck in their car at the scene. 🔗Full story via link in bio

Coastal parts of New Zealand, including Tauranga, Whakatane, Opotiki, are under a beach and marine threat from the magnitude 8.7 Kamchatka earthquake, Russia. 🔗Full story via link in bio