western bay of plenty

A retail crime unit introduced in the Western Bay of Plenty is receiving praise.

Police put the unit in place after the area had five thousand retail crimes last year.

In just three weeks it's managed to grab 53 offenders and lay more than 400 charges. 

Papamoa Plaza Mall Manager Anne Murphy told Heather du Plessis-Allan that retailers are delighted.

She says while they aren't relaxing yet, they are thrilled it's had an effect so quickly.

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Commuters are frustrated with heavy congestion on State Highway 2 between Ōmokoroa and Tauranga.

The stretch of highway is used by more than 25-thousand vehicles a day and in recent weeks commuters have complained about huge delays.

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been counting vehicles using side roads to skip the congestion.

Councillor Don Thwaites told Heather du Plessis Allan the congestion is caused by the building of 800 metres of cycle track near Tauranga City.

He said that the problem was a lack of roads, as there’s only one crossing each for the Te Puna Stream and Wairoa River.

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The next region being highlighted on ZB's Summer with the Mayors is the Western Bay of Plenty, which has plenty to offer this time of year.

The Western Bay of Plenty is home to famous New Zealand beaches, such as Waihi beach, Omokoroa, Anzac Bay and Pukehina. 

Tauranga's town centre has also been undergoing some growth in the last few years, so tourists don't have to pick between the beach and their favourite city activities for the day.

Western Bay of Plenty James Denyer says the region is popular with international and domestic tourists and the open borders are helping the region back to post-Covid visitor figures.

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