Western Bay of Plenty artists Liz Turnbull and Grant Bullot are exhibiting at the New Zealand Art Show this weekend - one of the country's biggest art shows. About 400 artists from around New Zealand applied to display their artwork at the event, but only 84 were selected. Liz Turnbull and Grant Bullot showcase some of the art they will take with them to the New Zealand Art Show in Wellington. A blind judging panel reviewed photographs of the artwork submitted by applicants and chose the More...

It is National Poetry Day and the Northern Horde and a band of other wordsmiths are celebrating the occasion with a night of reading called 'Loose Canons' at No. 1 The Strand. From 7pm Western Bay of Plenty poets, songwriters and musicians will be reading poems and performing their work. See video below of Jenny Argante providing a taste of what's in store for people on Friday night at No. 1 The Strand. Pete Dashwood, Marcel Currin and Jenny Argante will be reading their work and there More...

Business creations from the Young Innovator Awards are now at Creative Tauranga for public viewing. There are eight items on display with admission free. Jonathan Kent and Savana Woodcock, the winners of the senior and junior categories have their pieces on display so people can see what it took to impress the judges. Jonathan Kent's innovation is now on display at Creative Tauranga. Jonathan, a Tauranga Boys' College student, the senior category winner invented an automatic screen More...

When some of Frances Hodgkins' paintings end up in the hands of a Parisian gallery owner who has never heard of the artist, an Auckland art gallery curator is determined to get them back to New Zealand. So begins Jan Bolwell's lively, witty and critically acclaimed play, 'Double Portrait: Finding Frances Hodgkins', about New Zealand's most significant ex-patriate modernist painter of the 20th century, Frances Hodgkins. A scene from the play. 'Double Portrait: Finding Frances Hodgkins' will More...

Tauranga's Angela Maritz is among 524 artists to earn selection to show her work at the New Zealand Art Show at the TSB Arena in Wellington from July 30 to August 1. Her selection comes from a field of about 1000 artists for what is becoming a successful annual event, now in its seventh year, as it generates a gateway for emerging artists to Organised by the NZ Affordable Art Trust, judges of work to make it to the show say they were impressed with the standard of work this year. Angela More...

Listeners of three local radio stations will need to shift their dials on Wednesday, July 14 when The Radio Network alters the frequencies of Coast, ZM, and Flava in Tauranga. ZM is moving from 89.8FM to 89.4FM, Coast is moving from 97.3FM to 97.4FM, and Flava is moving from 89FM to 90.2FM. "With so many changes, it is important for listeners to correctly retune their radios to ensure they can continue to receive their local Radio Network stations loud and clear," says TRN's More...

A touring art exhibition featuring New Zealand’s top secondary school Visual Art portfolios opens today at the Tauranga Art Gallery. Exhibitors will showcase in one of five categories; design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Te Haunui Ngawaka Tuna,  Whakatane High School, Painting. The annual exhibition represents a selection of the top Visual Arts portfolios from students throughout New Zealand. All of the students involved gained Excellence for their work at More...

A Tauranga man came away with a bronze medal from an international photography competition that attracted 2740 entries from 945 photographers around the world. Colin Mossong gained a bronze award in two categories in the Epson Pano Awards, held in June.  Two Tauranga photographers placed at an international competition in June. The Weekend Sun columnist, Andy Belcher, also entered the competition and was placed 26th in the 'Built Environment - Open Award.' "Two photographers More...

From July 12, Tauranga gets its chance to view some of New Zealand's top secondary school - Year 13 (Level 3 NCEA) visual art. The annual Top Art exhibition, set to be held at Tauranga Art Gallery until July 22, gives the public a chance to see the best secondary school art from 2009. Tayla Yandall, Mount Albert Grammar School, Photography. The touring exhibition is travelling to 30 venues around New Zealand, showcasing five categories: design, painting, photography, printmaking and More...

A new Tauranga based community radio station is set to hit the airwaves in the region on July 31. Access Radio, which is behind community radio stations around New Zealand, will bring the long awaited 'Community Radio BOP' to the region. Station manager, Colin Beere, says the new radio station will be trialled on a low power FM frequency and will be fully operational later in 2011. Initially operating alongside Village Radio and using Hamilton Community Radio's programme as a model, More...