Fisher Wang. Rotorua council candidate subjected to racial slur. Photo / Stephen Parker
September 12:
A Givealittle page has now been set up for the families of the Chinese tourists killed in a bus crash last week.
The tour bus carrying 27 Chinese people, most understood to be from China's Sichuan province, rolled on State Highway 5 at Ngātira, near Rotorua on September 4. The families of those killed in the crash were in Rotorua
Flowers left at the scene of the fatal bus crash near Rotorua on State Highway 5. Photo / Stephen Parker
September 13:
A Rotorua council candidate who suggested housing homeless people in a barn has been slammed by other candidates - including one who says in their view his comments are ''offensive'' and ''inhumane''.
John Rakei-Clark made the remarks at a Chamber of Commerce meet-the-candidates event on Wednesday night.
Council candidate John Rakei-Clark on homelessness. Photo / Stephen Parker
September 14:
A Rotorua marae has banned fizzy drinks and plastic bottles - a move a health professional has described as ''trailblazing''.
The chairwoman of Ohinemutu's Tūnohopū Marae, Norma Sturley, said all 20 trustees were involved in the decision gradually introduced over winter to ban soft drinks and plastic bottles (not just single-use), both large and small.
From left, Harina Rupapera, Norma Sturley and Terry Sturley. Photo / Stephen Parker
September 15:
There was a time when many places were foggy with cigarette smoke and the smell of stale tobacco hung in the air. Cars, restaurants, bars and workplaces - all were areas where people could light up as they pleased. But not any more. Smokers have been pushed outside, often enduring the glares and pointed coughs of non-smokers. But with the explosion of vaping, it has suddenly become cool once more to puff away on a little stick. But is vaping safe?
Joe Fraser credits kicking his 25-year smoking habit to vaping. Photo / Stephen Parker.
September 18:
A poignant mural that captures the legacy of the late Aunty Bea has been painted in the Rotorua CBD.
The painting, titled Te Toki Te Arawa Hero Mural, was designed to capture a Te Arawa arts hero and was part of this month's Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival.
A moment he would not change even if he could, and one he would cherish forever. The next night, a knock on the door from police tore family's heart open with the news the 23-year-old St John ambulance officer died on the job.
Garry Harpur is in shock at the sudden death of his 23-year-old ambulance officer son who died on the job. Photo / Ben Fraser
September 25:
Quick reactions from a group of Rotorua locals saved a man's life when he was found unresponsive in his car on Sunset Rd.
With no pulse, the man's fate was not looking good.
But Rohan Knowles, Simon Kirner and Selena Layne acted quickly, along with perfect timing from ambulance paramedic Jordan Retemeyer and emergency medical assistant Amelia Fleming and an off-duty firefighter, who happened to be driving past.
Helping to save a man's life on Sunset Rd were (from left) off-duty nurse Selena Layne, Simon Kirner, emergency medical assistant Amelia Fleming, Rohan Knowles and paramedic Jordan Retemeyer. Photo / Stephen Parker
