21 Oct 2009

Morning Report: local papers

7:39 am on 21 October 2009

Wednesday's papers: Voters will have to vote twice in separate referendums to get rid of MMP; 22% pay increase for Christchurch City Council's chief executive questioned; continued speculation over the 'meaning' of 'guerrilla artwork' in Dunedin.

NZ Herald

Under the headline, 'Finance firms likely to know more about us', The New Zealand Herald says an Australian decision to give finance companies greater access to personal credit histories has given New Zealand's finance industry hope that our Government will do the same.

Voters will have to vote twice in separate referendums to get rid of the MMP electoral system, under a schedule issued on Tuesday by Justice Minister Simon Power.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post reports a litany of errors by 111 ambulance dispatchers are said to have contributed to a man's death after emergency services were sent to an area at least 100km from the scene of a motorbike accident.

A party with a concentration camp theme organised by a Wellington bar, has been canned after a backtrack by its organisers.

The event, scheduled for Saturday at Maya bar in Blair St, was pulled on Tuesday.

The Press

The Press reports a 22% pay-package increase for Christchurch City Council's chief executive has been questioned by community campaigners and business leaders.

A waste-collection company is under investigation for illegal dumping after accusations were made by a former employee.

Christchurch singer Ladi6 is pictured at a concert to raise funds for victims of the Pacific tsunami disaster.

ODT

The Otago Daily Times reports the Southern Cancer Network is to conduct an independent investigation into concerns raised by Otago GPs about access to colonoscopy services in the region.

And there's continued speculation over the 'meaning' of 'guerrilla artwork' in Dunedin.

Speculation is rife over whether a blue seesaw cemented into a downtown carpark is a work of art, a lovers' tiff, a protest, or just a private joke.