The Rotorua Daily Post is looking back at the stories of 2021. Here's what made headlines in August.
August 5
It was announced the Tino Rangatiratanga flag would soon fly from regional council buildings in a move its last surviving designer said was "a long time coming".
The Bay ofPlenty Regional Council's Strategy and Policy Committee voted to fly the Māori flag alongside the New Zealand flag daily.The decision followed a request from the council's Komiti Māori in which councillor Toi Kai Rākau asked for an investigation into the option of flying the Māori flag on a daily basis.
The council's old policy was to fly the Māori flag only on special occasions.
It was fast-paced jive that saw Nadine Katene and Logan Nathan take home the disco ball trophy in the 2020 Harcourts Dancing for Hospice.
It was their moves, alongside the nine other couples, that has seen the Rotorua Community Hospice well on its way to reaching its $100,000 fundraising target.
Despite nerves about the jump and the spins, Katene and Nathan managed to dazzle the crowd and the judges with their high knees and energetic twirls to Hairspray The Musical's, 'You Can't Stop The Beat'.
Caroline Fleming nearly doubled her wage when she moved to Sydney. Photo / Supplied
August 18
The latest Covid-19 lockdown was described as a "punch in the face" by a motel owner and another said businesses were set to lose thousands of dollars in revenue.
New Zealand moved into a snap lockdown on August 17 after a man from Auckland tested positive for Covid-19.
Tauranga's Wanderlust NZ owner Sarah Meadows had six cancelled bookings overnight but was most worried about group bookings for the AIMS Games.
Tauranga's Wanderlust NZ owner Sarah Meadows. Photo / George Novak
August 20
August also saw Rotorua officials plead with the Government to not use the city for any more managed isolation.
Waiariki rivals Rawiri Waititi and Tāmati Coffey lent their voices to the growing chorus of opposition to more managed isolation facilities in Rotorua.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said officials were "listening carefully to concerns raised" and it would be factored into decision-making.
They agreed with National Party Rotorua MP Todd McClay that places like Tauranga or Queenstown would be more ideal locations for a proposed expansion of managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities.
Rotorua police warned mountain bikers they faced being trespassed from the forest if they flouted level 4 restrictions.
Concern had been raised about the number of people flocking to the Redwoods and Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua.
Rotorua Hospital confirmed 30 bikers needed hospital treatment over the first five days during lockdown and many were riders attempting harder trails or who weren't used to mountain biking.
The Rotorua District Council warned it would consider closing the forest if people didn't follow the rules.
While the nationwide lockdown forced people to physically distance themselves from each other, some good old Kiwi ingenuity proved they can still feel like a community.
In 2020, teddy bears were placed in windows to spread joy and a feeling of togetherness among those out on their daily walks.
This time around, a Rotorua woman and her daughter came up with a new idea.
Darnel Eparaima and her daughter 3-year-old Nataria Manuera set up a plant exchange outside their house in Ōwhata.
A plant exchange in Owhata is giving residents the chance to freshen up their homes. Photo / Supplied
August 29
It is starting to feel as though everything Lisa Adams touches turns to gold.
That was certainly the case when she obliterated the competition to win gold in the shot put F37 at the Paralympics in Tokyo, completing an incredible three-year rise from rookie to Paralympic champion.
The 30-year-old's first attempt of 14.36m broke the Paralympic record - and, like each of her five throws to come, would have been good enough for gold.
Adams couldn't quite approach her own world record of 15.50m but her fifth and sixth efforts of 15.12m were more than enough to complete a commanding victory.
Speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post the Sunday, Adams said the fact that she had won still had not fully sunk in, however, it was an emotional victory.
