26 Jan 2009

Monday's newspaper headlines

9:51 am on 26 January 2009

Fatal Auckland motorway shooting; Christchurch police will tell mother of victim where released rapist is living; huge traffic jams on new motorway.

NZ Herald

"How It Happened," is the New Zealand Herald's front page headline on the fatal Auckland motorway shooting. It reports armed offenders squad members fired from the side of the road towards the van where Halatau Naitoko was sitting. A second front page story focuses on the young courier driver's family.

Also on the front page, the paper says Tuesday's Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Papua New Guinea will focus on the economic downturn and Fiji.

Inside, the paper reports that "monster opening-day traffic jams" overwhelmed Auckland's new Northern Gateway toll road on Sunday. A Herald car took 64 minutes to cover the route late morning, but just four minutes for the return journey.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post reports the family of the teenage motorway shooting victim have been re-enacting the scene on the lounge room floor, using cushions, in an attempt to "get their heads round" how their son was shot.

A front page picture has punters cheering Wellington Cup runners. An estimated 28,000 people turned up for Saturday's races, the biggest gate in four years.

The Press

"Stalker Mum Calls Off Pursuit" is the front page story in The Press. Police have struck an unusual deal with a mother who said she would stalk the man who raped her 12-year-old daughter when he is released from prison. Police will tell her the area where the rapist is being housed on his release so the family don't bump into him.

Otago Daily Times

The ODT reports that big business could benefit at the expense of residential ratepayers if Dunedin City Council votes for a change in its differential rating system on Monday.

An all-woman three piece acoustic group Delgirl, from Dunedin, has won a Tui Award for best folk album of 2008. It's called "Two, Maybe Three, Days Ride".