Bay of Plenty in 2011 Business & Economic Research Limited (BERL) identified the Bay of Plenty as one of the top performing regions in economic development, ranking second behind Auckland. It had the highest employment and GDP growth for 2011 and had the fastest growing medium term GDP. Tauranga, the region's largest commercial centre, was named New Zealand's top city for economic performance for the 2011 year. 67.1% of the resident population in the Bay of Plenty identified with the European ethnic group, while 27.5% of people identified themselves as Māori. This compared with 67.6% of the national population identifying themselves as ethnic
Radio Bay of Plenty 26 December 1993 and ran to 6 February 1994. After many petitions, letters and phone calls Bayrock was brought back on a permanent basis on 8 July 1994. Bayrock still operates as a completely local radio station today. Q97Hits is broadcast throughout Bay Of Plenty on 97.7 and in Ohope Beach. The station's playlist consists of Top 40 hits and chart-topping favourites. The hosts generally keep listeners up to date on the latest entertainment and celebrity gossip between songs. Q97 keeps advertising and talkback with hosts to a minimum with the station's slogan reflecting this. The station's slogan is "Never