A year in review: March 2014

Cyclone Lusi generated big swells in the Bay; Tauranga's Venice Harris was selected for the Auckland production of Annie; Pat Spellman attracted plenty of feedback after a proposal to make Tauranga New Zealand's first bilingual city.

Today we continue our 2014 Year in Review with a wrap-up of the big stories that happened in March

Free parking and more events were considered as part of a major campaign to revitalise Tauranga's CBD. City business leaders met to brainstorm how to attract more people to the central city and add more vitality to the area. Mayor Stuart Crosby told the Bay of Plenty Times more than 100 ideas were brainstormed at the Tuskany Tauranga Mainstreet meeting. He supported the free-parking idea and promised to put the suggestion back on council's agenda.

Rena stoush
National MP Simon Bridges described Labour's announcement that it would demand full removal of the Rena wreck as "pointless posturing". Labour leader David Cunliffe made the announcement during a visit to Tauranga. Mr Bridges said the decision should be made by the environment court, not politicians.

Best bargain
Tauranga's Jamie Hughes was looking for a cheap car but did not expect to find one for $1. He was trawling on Trade Me for a cheap car for his wife to learn to drive in when he stumbled on the bargain of a lifetime - a late 1990s Mitsubishi Mirage listed with a $1 buy now. Stadium Cars managing director Carin Arundel was good-humoured about the mistake, but honoured the deal.

Te reo backlash
Moana radio host Pat Spellman was campaigning to make Tauranga the first bilingual city in New Zealand. But less than a week later, Mr Spellman said he had received verbal abuse since the announcement. Mount Maunganui and Papamoa councillor Clayton Mitchell said he had received negative emails after voicing support for the project.

Cyclone relief
Bay residents prepared for the worst as Cyclone Lusi alerts were forecasted around the region. Numerous local events were cancelled and emergency staff were on standby with Mount Maunganui retailers snapping up sandbags. Despite widespread power cuts and trees falling across roads that kept Western Bay emergency services busy on Saturday, March 15, the cyclone failed to cause extensive damage. Electricity lines company Powerco said 1400 householders lost power amid winds that peaked at 80km/h.

Showbiz bound
Tauranga girl Venice Harris won a part in the stage production Annie after more than 600 girls from around the country tried out for a role. Seven-year-old Venice would be performing in Auckland and said it would be the biggest stage she had performed on.

Full of hot air
Tauranga parking wardens planned to hit motorists with instant $150 fines for bald tyres in a shock move that has one city councillor asking if it was an early April Fool's joke. Councillor Rick Curach warned it would deter people from visiting the downtown area once bald tyres were added to the expired warrants and registrations checklist. Three days later, political pressure reversed the shock announcement.

Readers react
Community groups rallied to stop Tauranga City Council slashing more than $1 million in funding from the city's libraries.

Tauranga Library Friends and Greerton Library 900 called for people to protest against proposed cuts that would see the number of new books and DVDs halved and the mobile library axed. The council was planning on cutting $911,000 from the annual new books budget - just three years after the same budget was halved.

Peter the hero
A parking warden was praised for his "courageous" actions after he helped restrain a man during a "frenzied attack" at Tauranga's ACC offices.

The warden, who wanted to be known only as Peter, was walking past the Grey St offices about 1pm on Wednesday, March 26, when someone ran out of the building calling for help.

Peter entered the offices and saw an "out-of-control" man allegedly pushing equipment off desks. An ACC staff member got the man in a headlock and Peter helped restrain his arms, then used his radio to call for police help.