Dazz SwitallaFlavour SecretsNo.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz Honey, ginger beef skewersA pile of root ginger sat in the pantry for a week after I bought too much for a curry. It had dried ever so slightly, but had not wrinkled with age.... Read More

Governance Matterswith Peter McKinlay Amalgamation is coming to a council near you - or is it? A group of Tauranga's leading business people will ask the Local Government Commission to amalgamate Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty. They are quite... Read More

Te Ururoa Flavell MP for Waiariki www.waiariki.maori.nz I was really pleased to recently attend the commemoration of the Battle of Gate Pa (Pukehinahina). The ground shook as the haka was being performed and we arrived to the battle site. It is... Read More

Clare WilsonLocal Labour Last week teachers and students and all of the varied support workers went back to school for Term 2. Teachers are the backbone of our community and guardians of our future. There is, however, a feeling of concern and... Read More

Matt CowleyTauranga City Councillor Tauranga City Council made history this week by holding its first-ever formal meeting outside of its own building since it amalgamated in 1989. Our Community Development Committee chairman Steve Morris dropped... Read More

Catherine StewartTauranga City Councillor It is acknowledged a city must plan for the future. However, I believe Tauranga City Council has an opportunity to refine and reduce the number of policies, plans and organisations currently in place,... Read More

Independent viewsBy Brendan Horan I was less than surprised to read Ian Campion's comments recently in the media, where he expressed frustration at the number of fatal road crashes on local roads, saying the region has already reached the same... Read More

Financewith Don Fraser Fraser Farm Finance In my work I notice there seems to be a disconnection between the farmer and his team of professionals - so holding a stakeholders' meeting will have a huge upside for your farming business.Farmers need... Read More

Tree Talkwith Gerry MortimerWoodmetrics Should we prune the next crop? This is the question Woodmetrics staff are often asked by clients after we've managed a sale for them.There are a number of reasons they're in this quandary. The main one is... Read More

Wendy MacphailEmployment Law Services New Zealand's biggest health and safety reform in 20 years is one step closer. The object of the changes is to improve New Zealand's appalling record in workplace safety. The independent taskforce, set up following... Read More

Sideline SidSports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz On Monday, we went to view the very excellent exhibition of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gate Pa, currently on display at the Greerton Hall. The display tells the tale of... Read More

Mike ChapmanNZKGI Chief Executive The sole driver for success is what kiwifruit growers earn. If growers don't earn enough to cover their costs and debts to make a reasonable profit, the industry will fail. This is true for any industry. The ingredients... Read More