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A message from Mayor Mahé with |
Opinion
Labour Weekend gave us a great taste of what’s ahead for Tauranga.
The city was humming, the sun was shining and it was awesome to see so many people out and about, enjoying events and making the most of what our city has to offer.
HoopNation Classic, Aotearoa’s largest basketball event, was a highlight, while the Tauranga Arts Festival offered plenty for arts and culture lovers and continues through until Sunday.
And there’s no slowing down for our city’s events calendar. This weekend we host the Hip Hop Unite World Championships for the first time in New Zealand, with some of the world’s best hip-hop dancers taking to the stage at Mercury Baypark Arena today and Saturday.
November brings international sport to Tauranga, with the Black Caps taking on India for two one-day internationals at Bay Oval, alongside New Zealand teams facing India in beach volleyball and 3x3 basketball. These events form part of the 100 Years of Unity through Sport programme, celebrating a century of sporting connections between New Zealand and India.
We have the Marra Tinman Triathlon and the World Triathlon Cup Tauranga, with its recently released elite line-up, alongside music events, the Tauranga Diwali Festival, and plenty more across the summer months.
It’s also been great to see cruise ships arriving on our shores, adding to the buzz and giving more visitors the chance to experience our awesome city.
All this activity is good for Tauranga. Events and visitors bring people together, create vibrancy and provide valuable support for our cafes, restaurants, shops, accommodation providers and other local businesses.
There are some exciting changes taking shape in our city centre too.
Recently, we celebrated the opening of our new Te Ao Mārama Tauranga Library and Community Hub – the first new community space to open as part of our emerging civic precinct, Te Manawataki o Te Papa.
It was a significant milestone and another important step in the revitalisation of our city centre. The building itself is impressive, but what’s just as great is seeing people enjoying it and making the space their own. About 18,300 visitors came through the doors in its first week, and it’s been fantastic to hear positive feedback about the space from people across our community.
If you haven’t had the chance yet, I’d encourage you to check it out. The Escape literary programme, part of the Tauranga Arts Festival, is on there this weekend, and there’s plenty more to explore.