Monday's headlines: ruins of the former Copthorne hotel may remain as they are for months; possible return of Sir Russell Coutts has been met with far less heat than expected; open homes quiet in Auckland at the weekend.
Monday's headlines: ruins of the former Copthorne hotel may remain as they are for months; possible return of Sir Russell Coutts has been met with far less heat than expected; open homes quiet in Auckland at the weekend.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald says there are signs the first home buyer's market in Auckland has gone quiet, ahead of new mortgage lending restrictions. Open homes at the weekend in the sub-$500,000 category were slow, mainly because buyers knew they would not be able to close a deal before the new rules begin.
Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker and his family are expected to touch down at Auckland International Airport on Monday morning.
Waikato Times
The lead story in The Waikato Times is about an inquiry into the high rate of forestry deaths in New Zealand. The paper features a picture of widow Maryanne Butler-Finley. Her husband Charles was killed in July while working as a loader operator - his death was the sixth forestry fatality this year.
Hamilton mayoral candidate Dave MacPherson has pulled out of the race, saying he cannot win and does not want to split the vote.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post leads with the headline 'Come back Sir Russell, all's forgiven'. The paper says the possible return of Coutts to Team New Zealand has been met with far less heat than expected. Coutts has now won the America's Cup five times, and is returning to New Zealand.
And Wellington City Council is investigating a ticketing practice known as double dipping. Motorist Kevin Stroud says he received two parking tickets that were issued four minutes apart.
The Press
The Press reports the principal of an unnamed school where up to 40 pupils were taken in by a woman on Facebook, saying there is relief now she has admitted her crimes.
Natalia Burgess, a 29, of Auckland, invented personas to form relationships with dozens of Christchurch schoolboys.
The cracked ruins of the former Copthorne hotel may remain as they are for months while structural engineers investigate. The 10-storey hotel collapsed on Saturday during demolition work.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says leaked documents show managers at Agresearch's Invermay facility pushed for more jobs - recommendations that were ignored in the final restructuring proposal.
And the the Automobile Association is upset it was not consulted about a proposed cycle lane on State Highway One through central Dunedin. A spokesperson told the paper cyclists and heavy trucks do not mix.
