A devastated father who claims his son's heart was stolen by a hospital has had a setback in his bid to sue for damages.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is reviewing how it notifies the public about oil spills after a refuelling accident went unreported last week.

An Oropi man who stabbed his neighbour three times during a heated dispute over missing trees and tyres being let down, has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

Two Bay of Plenty companies are ordered to pay reparation after a man's foot was severed by a winch wire at the Port of Tauranga.

An Auckland bus driver says passengers - including one who tried to use a $100 note for a $1 ride - need to start carrying smaller change for fares.

A jury last night found Witeri Ahomiro Neketai guilty of murdering Tauranga businessman Gary Kimura - but acquitted his associate, Taonui Hiku, of manslaughter.

Bus drivers have been told they should always carry passengers who want to pay with bank notes, even if they don't have enough change.

The free lessons will be offered once a year to Tauranga and Hamilton AA members, who can use them themselves or pass them on to a person of choice.

A bus driver who refused to let a child on board because he had $20 to pay his $1.80 fare should never have left that passenger behind, unions representing drivers say.

A Tauranga pensioner who took pity on sick and injured seagulls has stirred up a rebellion among neighbours tired of their washing and homes being splattered with bird poop.

Human remains dug up by contractors have been placed into the care of Tauranga iwi and will be reburied once work is complete.

A doctor caught driving drunk after fleeing police and crashing into a building left court yesterday wearing a Guy Fawkes' mask to avoid being photographed.

A Tauranga woman watched in horror as a young cyclist slammed into the side of a small truck, and was left unconscious and with serious head injuries.

The widow and daughter of a Tauranga man who was beaten to death have described the bloody aftermath they encountered after the attack.

The trial for four men charged in relation to the death of Tauranga man Gary Clayton Kimura, who was attacked at his Bellevue home in 2011, began in the High Court at Hamilton this morning.

A recent review of Tauranga City Council's Mobile Shops Policy included a ban of mobile food shops trading in the suburbs, which meant no more ice-cream vans.

Cindy McQuade chooses the latter and finds a hot spot on the outskirts of Tauranga.