From the Editor

Election Uncertainties What Bay business is seeking from a new government When the Bay of Plenty Business News went to print with this issue at the end of July, there were roughly two months and counting to go for what may be the most important election in New Zealand’s history. Because of our publishing schedules, we opted to outline in this issue...

As I have remarked often in recent months, these are very strange times, especially in politics. Summer holiday makers may be leaving the beaches across the Bay but behind the scenes big development continues, for example the Luxridge project we have featured on our cover this month, as well as a swathe of other construction projects throughout the region. This positive...

The Bay of Plenty Business News was founded to provide unique, supportive coverage on what has consistently been one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing regions.

I have been obsessed by the surreal saga of Donald Trump’s ongoing meltdown as he attempts to shut out the reality that he will soon be prised from the White House. In doing so, he will lose his presidential immunity from some – but not all – potential threats for criminal prosecution. As we went to print to meet our...

This month’s cover story takes an in-depth look at major Bay of Plenty company Ballance Agri-Nutrients, which contributes millions to the Bay’s GDP and has 260 of its 800 New Zealand staff based in the Mount.

As I have commented before in this space, the next election may be much closer than the Labour landslide that many commentators have been predicting. We should remember that this election is not just a judgement on the next government’s ability to help us survive a pandemic. As examples around the world have demonstrated, relatively few governments worldwide would claim that...

For a long-time political junkie like myself, October 2020 is about as good as it gets. We have the astonishing spectacle taking place in the US as the battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden nears a climax. And we have our own – less insane, but still vitally important decision coming up after New Zealanders conclude voting on...

We are fortunate to be living in a fertile, temperate land, in moated isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. But we have been reminded that when a global crisis strikes, we can be as vulnerable as anyone in the world. Kiwis are unlikely to experience the plague of locusts in which swarms of insects the size of cities continue to ravish...