Latest fromBOPT Opinion

Bryan Gould: Hunch is Crusher's not going down well with the public
COMMENT: We have not seen or heard as much from the National leader.

Letters to the editor: Total disbelief in National's promises
Readers share their views.

Comment: In matters of life or death, minutes matter
COMMENT: Return of Rotorua rescue helicopter a no-brainer.

Kristin Macfarlane: Focus on mental health timely in 2020
COMMENT: Increasingly open conversations about wellbeing can only be a good thing.

Samantha Motion: Why we should ditch the boring election hoardings
COMMENT: Back your future. Protect your future. Change your future. Ditch the signs!

Celebrating success at business awards a 'beacon of confidence'
This year's Westpac Business Awards will be on November 13, 2020.

Stephanie Worsop: Social media and the guilty parent
COMMENT: When picture-perfect 'mummy influencers' make you question your own abilities.

Jo Raphael: Now's not the time to relax
COMMENT: Covid is a nasty, tricky virus that we still don't know enough about.

Review: Curtains finally open on Blues Brothers First Contact
The Blues Brothers First Contact runs from September 18 to October 3

Stephanie Worsop: The perils of social media when you get it wrong
Comment: Social media is a harsh place where your stock can rise and fall in an instant.

Letters to the editor: How will the Māori ward actually work?
OPINION: Bay of Plenty readers have their say.

Mark Lister: GDP and the long slog that lies ahead
COMMENT: Mark Lister talks about GDP and Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update.

Jo Raphael: Let's pronounce our place names right
COMMENT: Let's do justice to te reo Māori.

Catching the tide for 'the lockdown generation'
What happens when young people 'miss the tide' in the transition to adulthood?.

Letters to the editor: Swapping one bad habit for a worse one
Readers share their views on the news making headlines in the Bay of Plenty.

Opinion: Do you know how your regional council is supposed to work?
COMMENT: It is up to us to meet councils halfway.

David Beck: Why I'm learning te reo as a 29-year-old pākehā
David Beck: It's never too late to overcome your own ignorance and learn something new.

Kiri Gillespie: Who I think the dark horse is in the local election race
COMMENT: Plus who gave the standout performance of the night.

Samantha Motion: Five weeks to the election - here's who I think will win in the Bay
COMMENT: There are four safe seats and one to watch in the Bay of Plenty region

Dawn Picken: Is New Zealand a fascist state?
COMMENT: People troubled by government policies during the pandemic have options.

Stephanie Worsop: I didn't want a fixer-upper but that's what we got
COMMENT: At least one part of my home is a construction zone every month.

Labour's policy - a salve for small business?
COMMENT: Small businesses are desperate for support but the devil will be in the detail.

Letters to the editor: Defunct carpark should be made into a park
OPINION: Bay of Plenty readers have their say.

Letters to the editor: Action on drugs needed now not later
Bay of Plenty Times readers have their say.

Kristin Macfarlane: No kisses or hand shakes - so why is it okay to touch eftpos buttons?
COMMENT: Tap and go payment systems should be available at all businesses.

Kieran Madden: Consensus on the importance of early years
COMMENT: It's good to see bipartisan policies on children's development.

Comment: Masks making Covid fight trendy - but did they come too late?
COMMENT: Masks are latest fashion accessory - but they should have been employed sooner.

Letters to the editor: Illegal dumping an eyesore and disgrace
Bay of Plenty readers have their say.

Samantha Motion: New Zealand has enough imported holidays, it's time for Matariki
COMMENT: The winter gulf between public holidays has never felt longer.