Ian McLean Green candidate for Tauranga With respect to the fallout from this event, here are answers to key questions from the media and public briefings up to Tuesday 11 October: Can we have confidence in the readiness and capability of Maritime... Read More

Geoff Taylor Dairy NZ During the last six months, nearly 800 farmers across the country have had their health checked at a Health Pitstop - and the results make interesting reading. The initiative is in the first year of a seven-year programme... Read More

Virginia Iovine-Turner Cucina Amore www.cucinaamore.co.nz Let that fresh snapper roll in. It's almost summer and we are going to be blessed with this yummy fish, so boys get those lines out and bring some fish home for cooking. I was given some... Read More

Vet's Voice Kathleen Linpus www.vetcaretauranga.co.nz As your dog or cat grows older, the risk of heart failure grows too. The heart is the most important organ in your pet's body, pumping blood containing oxygen and nutrients through the blood... Read More

Philip Holland Financial Independence financialindependence Yes, things are getting financially tighter out there as the credit crunch is starting to bite. Some struggling families are starting to cut back on their life insurance cover to free... Read More

Tree Talk with Peter HaringtonWoodmetrics Regional Manager One of the things I like most about my job is visiting interesting places and meeting interesting people. I get to travel into remote valleys throughout the central North Island and see... Read More

Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz Sideline Sid believes that the more that things change the more that they stay the same. While it is 24 years since the first Rugby World Cup in New Zealand (and Australia), it is... Read More

Daz Switalla Flavour SecretsNo.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz As a chef I have always loved the aroma of fresh basil. Planting basil next to tomato plants helps with disease resistance so it is often used with tomato in companion planting.... Read More

Barbara Reid of Maison Monique maisonmonique.co.nz Welcome to the October edition of Fashion Focus and the beginning of daylight saving. Spring is definitely with us and with this season comes the unpredictable weather. There is confusion at this... Read More

John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz Last week we looked at the importance of realistic time frames in recovering from health problems. I remember my GP saying to me many years ago that the concept of convalescence seems to have gone from... Read More

Write Space Literary news, views and reviews http://taurangawriters.org.nz Last week, staff from the iSites at Tauranga and Mount Maunganui visited Katikati to familiarise themselves with the local attractions. This week's Write Space by Margaret... Read More

Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz As the Bay stares down the barrel of a full blown ecological disaster on our coast, perhaps it's time for a revision session: Ship Driving 101. First rule of ship driving: Go around the rocky hard bits.This... Read More