Weather Eye with John Maunder The NASA solar physics website, and other websites such as the Royal Observatory of Belgium, include information on sunspot numbers, spotless days, the ‘Maunder Minimum' and sunspot cycle...... Read More

Winston Watusi Music Plus It’s time for Part Two of The Great 2019 Mayoral Music Survey. The first four respondents featured last week (see www.sunlive.co.nz). They were: Kelvin Clout, John Robson, Tenby Powell and Andrew...... Read More

Daniel Hutchinson From The Hutch The problem with local body elections is that you haven’t got the foggiest idea who any of the candidates are but you really feel like you are supposed to vote. At least in the general elections...... Read More

Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP I am very pleased with the result of lasts week’s 2019 AIMS Games. It was amazing to see more than 11,500 young athletes descend on Tauranga to participate in such a positive and lively...... Read More

Simon Bridges National Party Leader simonbridges.co.nz I can always tell when our community is angry. I get calls and emails from people letting me know their concerns. This is happening at the moment as people living in the...... Read More

Tamati Coffey Labour MP The days of New Zealanders recognising Guy Fawkes on November 5, completely unaware that Parihaka shares the same date, are numbered. I was in Wellington, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled a New...... Read More

Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz Sideline Sid is counting down the days to the highest profile sporting event ever held in the Western Bay of Plenty. Once considered a sporting backwater, the Western...... Read More

Weather Eye with John Maunder The chart below shows that since 1979, when reliable satellite observations became available, there has been little change in the overall trend in the average tropospheric temperatures, apart from milder/warmer...... Read More

Winston Watusi Music Plus Politics. It’s a funny old game, innit? We’re counting down to another local election. Time for everyone to try and remember who to punish for messing up Tauranga’s roads, public spaces,...... Read More

Daniel Hutchinson From The Hutch Kia ora koutou When Jacinda was out there on the campaign trail in the last general election telling everyone “let’s do this” I wasn’t entirely sure what  was meant...... Read More

Todd Talks with Todd Muller National MP A strong economy matters and our country – and the Bay of Plenty – should be booming, yet 63 per cent of business leaders think the Government is managing the economy...... Read More

Jan Tinetti Labour MP When the Prime Minister announced recently that thousands of New Zealand children will receive free school lunches my reaction was one of immense happiness and relief because the evidence shows that hunger...... Read More

Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz One of the most iconic thoroughbred racing meetings in Australia was run during the weekend - not on the hallowed turf of Flemington or Randwick, but on a dirt course...... Read More

Weather Eye with John Maunder Temperatures have been recorded in the Tauranga area at several sites in the last 100 years, including the current Tauranga Airport site from June 1990. The graph shows details of the average daily...... Read More

Winston Watusi Music Plus  Gigs. Next weekend. Damn, but there’re a lot of them... Starting on Friday (September 13) we once again find ourselves at The Jam Factory. It is a popular spot for, I think, three reasons:...... Read More

Daniel Hutchinson From The Hutch The very word ‘measles’ just sounds mean and slightly insignificant. Only, it turns out it isn’t insignificant. Measles has been striking fear into everyone over the last few weeks....... Read More

Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP Tauranga is expanding at an accelerated rate yet its infrastructure is struggling to accommodate for this growth. Key roads which provide access to some of the Bay of Plenty's largest economic...... Read More

Simon Bridges National Party Leader simonbridges.co.nz I am receiving lots of feedback from concerned people about the underpass that’s being demolished underneath the Baypark to Bayfair Link. People are justifiably angry...... Read More

Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz Bay of Plenty Rugby should be pleased with the turnout of Western Bay of Plenty Rugby fans to their triple header at the Tauranga Domain on Saturday afternoon. Bay...... Read More