19 Nov 2008

Morning Report: local papers

6:32 am on 19 November 2008

NZ Herald

The New Zealand Herald quotes Maori community leader Hone Kaa as saying New Zealanders should stop turning a blind eye to child abuse and 'dob in' their neighbours.

The call followed the guilty verdicts in the trial in the High Court at Rotorua of those accused of killing Nia Glassie, aged three years.

Most of the Herald's front page is dedicated to her tragedy with a photo of her 'instrument of torture' - a tumble drier from the house where she died.

Kashin and Burma could become the last elephants in a New Zealand zoo as a result of Auckland City Council budget cuts.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post says Lisa Kuka, Nia's mother, still swears she did not know what was going on when the child was abused and killed.

German backpacker Julia Jahn is pictured with an English tourist who saved her life by paddling 2.5 hours for help after her kayak became trapped under a log in the Whanganui River.

The Press

The Press says New Zealand's housing sales slump is the worst on record, with Christchurch particularly hard hit by price falls. A report by Sydney-based mortgage insurer QBE and Infometrics has found that nationwide house sales in the first half of this year were down 44% on the same period last year.

The Press also focuses on Kuka's involvement in her daughter's death: it says she showed little emotion when the verdicts were read out on Tuesday.

ODT

The Otago Daily Times says the timing of a proposal to build a "medium-sized" theatre in Dunedin, at a cost of up to $35 million, has been questioned by city councillors.

HMNZS Otago, which is already a year overdue, is reported to be battling a serious weight issue which may jeopardise future operations and is likely to further delay the ship's delivery.