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 […]

Plans to upgrade one of New Zealand’s most dangerous intersections could be the South Waikato’s economic making. In early 2020 the Government announced a $58-million project to install a roundabout at the Piarere State Highway 1/29 intersection north of Tīrau after years of serious crashes. Whilst the project won’t kick off until 2022, Waikato River […]

The South Waikato has not only become a property investor’s dream, but also business owners, with rising property prices having wider reaching positive spin-offs. New realestate.co.nz data shows the district’s house prices have risen by a whopping 87 per cent in 10 years. The average house price has gone from $224,734 to $419,739 which is […]

A purpose-built tertiary facility in the centre of Tokoroa aims to provide growth and investment within the South Waikato, training and retaining both youth and skilled workers. The new Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology campus will be open by 2022 catering for up to 500 students a year, upskilling the local workforce. The $14 million […]

The new South Waikato Trades Training Centre is making strong progress with the funding contracts being signed to complete the $14m project. Professional services firms have been appointed to undertake the next phases of design, engineering and cost management for the Centre. The project is being led by the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) […]

This weekend will be all about That Weekend in South Waikato. In what will be the first of its kind in New Zealand, some of the country’s top artists will perform during a two day camping music festival surrounded by natural hot spring spas, 9-hole golf, tennis courts, restaurant, pub, and native forest at the […]

A wall in Karori is getting a new lease on life with a mural by a local artist. Graphic designer and Korean New Zealander Keehwa Hong answered an open call for artists by the Wellington City Council last year. It is being painted across three sides of an old electricity substation (east, south and west […]

An overseas building company has entered the New Zealand market, promising to build affordable houses in half the normal time. Panasonic Homes, part of the giant Japanese multinational Panasonic Corporation, has partnered with New Zealand residential building company Mike Greer Commercial. It is the first time Panasonic Homes has expanded outside of Asia. The company […]

Hawke’s Bay is one of Aotearoa’s premier wine spots, drawing in tourists from across the country and around the world. But the region has recently been making a name for itself because of its craft beer offerings, with several taprooms opening just in time for summer. RNZ explored three local breweries to see what the fuss […]