Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic contest the preliminary final against the Sting. The Southland-based franchise emerged victorious over the Magic by 48–46 in a close contest: this was the final NBC match played by the franchise. The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were one of five New Zealand franchises named for the new trans-Tasman netball competition – eventually named the ANZ Championship – to start in 2008. Martin Ellis was appointed as the new CEO for the Magic franchise. But several organisational problems also emerged prior to the start of the new season: a row erupted over the composition of the board early in the
Radio Bay of Plenty is also a Saturday Morning Sports Preview programme with Tony Kirby. The network carries and contributes to national news bulletins produced by NZME Radio through Newstalk ZB. 1XX still operates as a completely local radio station today. One Double X is the emergency broadcaster for much of the Bay of Plenty, with sirens and civil defence services encouraging people to tune into the station for emergency information. In 2013, the station had to respond to a false alarm that prompted several people to listen to station or contact the studio for more information. Bayrock is an album rock format radio