Find out which New Zealand towns have grown the fastest over the past 80 years.

Sunshine and a better paying job were reasons enough to make the Kontzes pack up in Palmerston North and move to Tauranga two years ago.

Tauranga and Whakatane have been New Zealand's fastest growing towns over the past 80 years.

Three young women have been rescued from the Kaimai Range by Tauranga police and search and rescue.

A 42-year-old Tauranga man was in hospital with serious head injuries after the assault.

Wind gusts and a boisterous swell 137km off the Tauranga coast did not prevent a helicopter medic from landing on a stricken yacht to rescue its two crew.

A New Zealand man has died while playing a game of squash in London.

Gale force winds blowing across Auckland have forced the cancellation of some ferry services and have made driving conditions hazardous.

Tornadoes smashed through Mt Maunganui last night, damaging homes, ripping roofs from buildings and sending trampolines and outdoor furniture flying. ASB Baypark Stadium also lost parts of its grandstand roof. Firefighters responded to numerous calls about roofs being ripped of houses around Lodge Ave and Links Ave. Mount Maunganui Intermediate is closed after announcing that it had suffered "considerable damage".

Police say the man who died in a fire at a sleep-out in the Bay of Plenty was an 18-year-old local.

Emergency services in Tauranga responded to multiple calls about a tornado. The New Zealand Herald understands up to 15 roofs have been damaged or lifted off after the area at Mount Maunganui was hit at 8.45pm. Firefighters responded to numerous calls about roofs being ripped of houses around Lodge Ave and Links Ave.

A planned Mother's Day reunion has ended in tragedy for an Auckland family who lost three relatives in a horrific car crash.

“Help is on its way” for Tauranga’s homeless families after a Government decision to sell the city’s 1250 state houses, a social service leader says.

A man has been critically injured in a suspected stabbing during an assault in Tauranga this morning.

About 1500 litres of heavy fuel oil was leaked into Tauranga Harbour on Monday, Mobil has revealed.

A 19-year-old Tauranga man severed his finger when it accidentally went into the blades of a band saw today.

Thick, black oil washed up on properties as far as Mangatapu last night after a spill in Tauranga Port yesterday - with fears for surrounding wildlife.

The publicity surrounding the AC/DC drummer's arrest and charges drew more attention to the band than the death of former lead singer Bon Scott, Rudd's lawyer says.

Embattled AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd will face a difficult battle to escape conviction on charges he yesterday pleaded guilty to, legal experts say.

AC/DC rocker Phil Rudd told an associate he wanted a former employee "taken out", a court has heard today.

A man killed when he was trapped under a heavy vehicle at a Bay of Plenty quarry today was a 24-year-old from Tauranga, police say.

A person has died after fleeing police who were attending to reports about an out-of-control party 22km south of Tauranga last night.

Two high school students from Tauranga and their robot will be heading to the United States this weekend hoping to become world champions.

Two yachties were rescued by fellow seafarers yesterday, after their 30 foot catamaran capsized during a race.

The first shipment of New Zealand kiwifruit set off from the Port of Tauranga yesterday, marking the start of a season that looks set to see volumes bounce back to pre-Psa levels, says Zespri chief....

Tauranga police are seeking help from members of the public to identify a group of men involved in an alleged sexual assault of a teenager.

On March 26, the last of the southern coastwatchers, John Stuart Jones, was to have voyaged to the Auckland Islands with an expedition to restore his old home in Ranui Cove.

A Frenchman who moved to NZ to "make his dream come true" swerved to avoid hitting a portable toilet that had fallen from a truck before colliding head-on with another truck.