Todd TalksBy Todd Muller It has been an enjoyable first two weeks as the National Party candidate for the Bay of Plenty electorate. For the first day or two post the June 6 selection, I took time to celebrate with my wife and children quite an... Read More

Independent viewsBy Brendan Horan During last week's National Volunteers Week it was appropriate and in good taste local Mayors Stuart Crosby and Ross Patterson co-hosted a mayoral reception to celebrate the bicentennial of Justices of the Peace... Read More

Dazz SwitallaFlavour SecretsNo.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz Sometimes I sit and contemplate the natural wonders and goings on of life. I've just had the first mandarin from a tiny shrub I plated six months ago. Unfortunately, the poor... Read More

Matt CowleyTauranga City Councillor Yes, money can buy happiness, but it depends how you spend it. Research shows buying yourself a coffee will not make you as happy as buying someone else a coffee. It's not the amount you spend on others, but... Read More

Ian McLeanGreen SceneSpokesperson for the Green Party It is 2015. The newly-elected Government is proposing to sign off on oil exploration on Codfish Island, where most kakapo live, and in the McKenzie Basin, where most black stilts live. The Minister... Read More

Catherine StewartTauranga City Councillor Elected members adopted the Tauranga City's 2014/2015 Annual Plan at a council meeting this week. When I read the agenda, I was surprised to notice a previous clause in prior annual plans had been removed... Read More

Annie SchenkelConnectivity Project LeaderSport BOP The well-known and successful Green Prescription programme run by Sport Bay of Plenty is being enhanced to offer a more targeted approach to preventing type 2 pre-diabetes in the Bay of Plenty. The... Read More

Annie SchenkelConnectivity Project LeaderSport BOP The well-known and successful Green Prescription programme run by Sport Bay of Plenty is being enhanced to offer a more targeted approach to preventing type 2 pre-diabetes in the Bay of Plenty. The... Read More

Weather Eyewith John Maunder The 'Maunder Minimum' is the name given to the period from 1645 to 1715 when the number of sunspots - 'storms' on the sun - became almost zero. The period is named after the solar astronomer Edward Walter Maunder (1851-1928),... Read More

Sideline SidSports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz In today's world it is easy to keep up with rugby in the Bay of Plenty, when enjoying the sun in Queensland. Text updates from my mates and the weekly results on SunLive keep a holidaying... Read More

NewshoundAdy & Flo www.sunlive.co.nz The World's Ugliest Dog competition begins this week, with some gruesome hounds lining up to contest the title of the planet's worst looking mutt.Some of these characters are truly scary, but that just makes... Read More

Brian RogersRogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz Welcome to the midwinter Rogers Rabbits madness. Warning, this column contains offensive language, adult themes, and the odd rude word. Do not read beyond this point if you are easily offended or prone... Read More