Welcome to the Art Deco capital of the world. Napier’s extensive collection of Art Deco buildings has earned it this title, giving the city a unique style and attracting thousands of tourists each year, particularly during the renowned Art Deco Festival. In 1931, New Zealand suffered one of its deadliest natural disasters when a 7.8 […]

Whakatane is the cultural heart of the coastal Bay of Plenty and is home to Ngati Awa (the dominant Maori tribe in the area). Their ancestors first arrived here from central Polynesia in the 13th Century and Maori have lived in Whakatane ever since. You can experience New Zealand’s indigenous culture first-hand when you visit […]

After 166 enquiries, 122 groups coming through four open homes, and 24 offers, a Havelock North house has sold for $1,050,000. This is more than double its 2019 ratings valuation of $500,000, which initially led many buyers to believe they stood a chance at buying the 1950s weatherboard three-bedroom house. “Most offers were cash, unconditional” […]

New Zealand’s property market experienced the highest number of residential property sales for the month of February in 14 years. Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) found a 14.6 per cent year-on-year increase in property sales for New Zealand in February 2021, from 6951 sales in 2020 to 7964 sales. The Auckland market made […]

The community-owned economic development fund South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) is working closely with training provider Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology to construct a new $14 million South Waikato Trades Training Centre in Tokoroa. The development at 30 – 32 Chambers Street is scheduled for completion in 2022 and will cater for up to […]

Residents of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty celebrated the opening of a new retirement village in July 2020. 100 people gathered to bless the Porritt Glade Lifestyle Village and one of the completed homes was open for viewing. Mayor Malcolm Campbell said the development had not been without its challenges, but he could not […]

The Bay of Plenty’s Regional Land Transport Plan 2021 has been approved for public consultation regarding the spend of the $3 billion budget set aside for transport development projects over the next 10 years. A sub-committee has been formed to oversee public consultation, expected to begin on March 5, and public hearings scheduled to take […]

A new era is on the rise in Hawkes Bay with the almost-$24 million investment project nearing completion. The refurbishment and earthquake-strengthening of the heritage Municipal Building in Hastings CBD is forming an integral part of the wider Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre cultural precinct. This building will hold theatre, live music […]

Whakatane was officially crowned the NIWA Sunshine capital for 2020. Arguably, this makes Whakatane the sunniest place in the world New Zealanders can travel to right now without having to quarantine. The campaign intends to make people smile and to highlight Whakatane and the Eastern Bay of Plenty as a great holiday destination year-round. “We […]

The Opotiki District Council will implement a new town centre masterplan, as a way of ‘revitalising’ the downtown area. The Council endorsed the plan at the latest meeting on January 27. Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer says Opotiki is at the start of a period of large-scale change. “The Masterplan is about creating a vision of […]