Captivating children by Anna Rutten from Kidiwise Early Learning Centre We couldn't have wished for a wetter Christmas than what we've had this year. I am sitting here looking out at yet another rainy, rainy day and the prospect of another week... Read More

The Good Life with Sue Edmonds With summer droughts becoming regular and the water table in my well getting lower each year, I thought it was time I took some of my own advice on water use and made the most of what falls before the drought hits. The... Read More

Finance with Don Fraser Fraser Farm Finance Do you know that more than 50 per cent of those killed in 9/11 had no will? Think about the ramifications for those left behind. I am a trustee of a farm, where one of the settlers had been advised he... Read More

Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz Many of you have a lot of very good theories as to why a ship would be wrecked on a reef. But they're not as good as this one. This theory was developed as the RR research team wandered the windswept... Read More

News Hound Ady & Flo Howdy, it's Flo Flotsam here. I've been jetsamming around with the bosses on assignment this week, chasing flotsam photos from my hometown to Bowentown. (And let me just clarify, it's pronounced like Bow-wow'n town.) First... Read More

Around the Clubs It's been another challenging week for local surf lifesaving clubs, with the Rena breakup disrupting our northern neighbours at Waihi Beach. It means the Top Rookie Lifeguard of the Year competition has had to change venues on... Read More

Ian McLean Green candidate for Tauranga That shiny sheen on the water surface around the Rena is not just oil. It is fish, lots of fish. It was in 1975 that the battle to create a marine reserve at Goat Island at Leigh was won. Local fishers, who... Read More

Brian Anderson The Western Front www.sunlive.co.nz The old fable reports on an emperor who, through his social media, had managed to convince everybody that his sartorial splendour, the ultimate in minimalist fashion was the very latest and was... Read More

Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor I sympathise with the view of many who are calling for transparency during the settlement process of the Tauranga Moana Treaty claims. Word has it that local Maori can expect a settlement of about... Read More

Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz This is the time of year when we look forward and make resolutions on how differently we want things to be in the year ahead. Faced with a new year, it is also fun to make predictions and then... Read More

Soil matters with Peter Burton Eco-logic Soil Improvement Ltd Soon after purchasing our first farm, a neighbour informed us we should be wary of working in with the neighbour on the other side when it came to hay making as he nearly always managed... Read More

Insuring futures with Theresa Pharo Financial Advisor A new year is upon us and with that comes the opportunity to make changes, tidy up those loose ends, review and plan for a risk-free 2012. Farm and family insurance policies often get overlooked... Read More