Bay Of Plenty

The construction of a controversial sewerage pipeline near a Rotorua lake considered tapū by mana whenua is set to continue despite protests.

Tony John Looker lost his hotel business and his marriage, then had a heart attack and lost his ability to work.

MetService rain watches and warnings are in place for parts of the country this evening, but the deluge will miss the driest areas, NIWA says.

A hīkoi has been held in Whakatāne to protest the closure of the area's obstetrics unit, 'chronic understaffing, poor management and a dysfunctional health system'. Audio

Fire and Emergency services were called to the scene on Aerodrome Road.

Teachers and principals express concerns the new school lunch programme, but also acknowledge the benefit it has for families struggling to provide food.

On one occasion, a deer's head could be seen floating on the "taonga" lagoon's surface, stinking as it decomposed.

The Detail: Despite a model based on choice, New Zealanders' options for birth are limited based on post code.

But police say it is near impossible to catch the culprits.

Drysdale says he can't find a home in his desired school zone.

The principal described the death as simply devastating for everyone involved.

There will be a high police presence in Hawke's Bay on Monday as they monitor the tangi of a senior Mongrel Mob member.

Stevee Ormsby is charged with assaulting Russell Watts after a dispute over her choice of parking spot turned physical.

A large house fire in the western Bay of Plenty has been extinguished after a two-hour effort.

Mayor Victor Luca says the downgrade of specialist services at Whakatāne Hospital's gynaecology and obstetrics department is only the tip of the iceberg.

A smell described as like rotting fish or a dead animal has been lingering over pōtiki.

The resignation of Mikaere Sydney means a decision is needed on who will become the city's next Māori ward councillor.

Major surgical cases have been delayed in some places because of a strike by lab workers at public hospitals in Wellington, Palmerston North, Tauranga, Rotorua, Whakatāne, Nelson and Dunedin.

A 31-year-old Mongrel mob member and a 25-year-old man have been arrested in relation to the Ōpōtiki murder on Saturday morning.