Community

On the outskirts of Taupō there’s a bar out the back of a house that gets quite busy on Anzac Day.

The Taupō Hospice Shop is now in larger premises at the former Danske Mobler store in Totara Point and is open for business.

Volunteer Taupō has appointed Phillip Purvis as its new operations manager.

With modern printing technology and online marketplaces, becoming a published author has become much more accessible. 

The iconic Taupo Home and Garden Show is back at Taupō’s Great Lake Centre this Friday to Sunday and once again is a must-visit event for both exhibitors and visitors.  

Long-tailed bats (pekapeka) have been detected in Taupō's Botanical Gardens, the first time there has been evidence of them in the town.

Greening Taupō’s 2026 planting season is in the starting blocks and ready for the green light this weekend.

A dinosaur-themed exhibition featuring art created from recycled materials is on at Taupō Museum and Art gallery. 

Several projects could be delayed, some destination marketing plans put on hold and other spending cuts are proposed as the Taupō District Council ponders how it will keep a lid on rates. 

For some time now the big truck parking in town overnight is nothing less than a nightmare.

The Tūrangi Yacht Club celebrated 60 years at Stump Bay this weekend. Combining its annual OK Dinghy International Regatta with a celebration dinner at its club rooms.

Taupō is well known for its glamour events on the lakefront, but locals know the hard mahi goes on behind the scenes at Owen Delany Park. 

Taupō Community Gardens is having a growth spurt as more residents turn to cultivating their own produce to help bridge the gap in the grocery budget. 

Taupo Bridge Club is experiencing unprecedented interest from new players.

Taupō’s generous underbelly works quickly in times of need.

The Taupō Primary School Year 5 student created a stop-go animation video, with a bit of help from her mum Fiona Bramwell who provided the scary voice of a clam and dad Ian who helped with some of the props.

The Lake Taupō harbourmaster has clarified its role in rescues with Fire and Emergency after FENZ struggled to get hold of them when a boy was rescued just before Christmas.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about love – the real, everyday kind that keeps us warm through our chilly winters and makes those long summer lake days even better. You know how sometimes you pour your heart into something for your partner... only to feel like it didn’t quite land? Or they do something sweet, and you’re left wondering why it doesn’t hit the spot the way you’d hoped?

We went on the hunt for the cutest, weirdest, funniest pets in Taupō and had 120 photos in two days. Impossible to narrow them down but here’s a selection.

Maru Energy Trust has appointed whānau advocate Monica Duff as its ‘community champion’ for Tūrangi.

The recent passing of Helen Rabinska is a profound loss for Taupō.

Singles aged 35 and over will gather at Cobb and Co on Valentine's Day for the latest installment of Taupō's Mix and Mingle.

Robbie Shearer celebrates 100 years with tales of wartime loss, love and even a childhood friendship with Sir David Attenborough.

The Taupō Parents Centre is struggling to remain open despite helping hundreds of new parents each year.

Rachel Thompson, environmental educator for Kids Greening Taupō, is this month’s Harcourts Taupō Good Sort for her work in preventing invasive gold clams from entering Lake Taupō.

Taupō is producing a generation of young people with a huge understanding of the ecology they live in, and ground-breaking education is starting to be picked up in other regions.

‘Have you served and how can we help you?’ That’s the simple motto that has served Mangakino RSA well for 80 years.

 Tūrangi teen Amy Smith has completed two Blue Light programmes, and her coinfidence is sky-high.

Taupō’s Anneke Jacoba Dinnington has been honoured with a King’s Service Medal in the New Year Honours List 2026.

Mayoral winner John Funnell and runner-up Zane Cozens were the big spenders in last year’s local body election race.