Bay Of Plenty
'Dirty' vessel ordered to leave NZ waters
A cargo ship from Indonesia was given 24 hours to leave because of fears it could bring in unwanted marine species.
Light plane makes emergency landing at Tauranga aiport
A light aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Tauranga Airport after the pilot reported problems with the landing gear.
Fires gut buildings in Tauranga and Oamaru
Buildings in Tauranga and Oamaru have suffered significant damage from fires overnight.
'We expected to find kumara and fire pits... we did not expect this'
Roadworks near Tauranga have come to a halt after musket balls were found in what could be a defensive trench from the 1800s.
Kapahaka - the pinnacle of Māori performing arts
Te Ahi Kaa celebrates Te Matatini 2017 with an insight into kapahaka. Audio
Frog invasion in Papamoa
The Carpenter family of Papamoa has been invaded by frogs. This lead their two-year-old daughter, Sophie, on a great frog hunt. Her Dad, Deon Carpenter, explains what happened. And frog expert… Audio, Gallery
One dead in Whakatane crash
A person has died and another is in a serious condition after a two-car crash on State Highway 30, near Whakatane, St John Ambulance says.
Composing waiata and understanding mōteatea
The national kapahaka festival Te Matatini begins on 23 February. In the lead-up, Te Ahi Kaa discusses mōteatea (chants) with Dr Wayne Ngata and waiata-a-ringa (action songs) with the late Matiu… Audio
Bad weather causes flooding, disrupts air show
Downpours in parts of the North Island have caused flooding and forced the cancellation of an air show at the Wings over Wairarapa festival.
Faulty light to blame for devastating fire at Rotorua church
A faulty fluorescent light sparked a fire that gutted a Rotorua church last week, the fire service has concluded.
Joe Harawira, haka judge
Joe Harawira talks about his life in kapahaka and his judging role at Te Matatini. Video, Audio
Joint retirement for judge couple
In a New Zealand first, two judges jointly retired at a ceremony at a Tauranga marae yesterday afternoon - and to compound the novelty, the pair just so happen to be married.
Man seriously hurt at motocross event
A Tauranga man has been seriously hurt at a motocross event near Matata, in the Bay of Plenty.
Church fire threatened houses
Rotorua firefighters did well to keep a massive fire from spreading to a residential area, the city's deputy mayor says.
Lawyer embezzled thousands from clients
The swift fall from grace of a former Tauranga lawyer who embezzled thousands of dollars from his clients has been revealed.
Congregation devastated after massive fire guts Rotorua church
The city's deputy mayor Dave Donaldson visited and says the intensity of the fire has been quite severe and the fire fighters did well to stop it spreading. Audio
Large fire blazing at church in Rotorua
A large fire has ripped through a church in Rotorua. Eyewitness Ryan joins Checkpoint. Audio
Customer in cafe robbery 'massively brave'
A woman is being praised for her bravery in intervening in an armed robbery in a busy Whakatane berry farm and cafe. Audio
'There is a bullet hole in the floor of the cafe'
Two people were hit by pellets after an armed robber fired a shot at the floor at a Whakatane berry farm and cafe.
