Wednesday's papers: Missing West Auckland toddler Asiling Symes was chasing ducklings just before she disappeared on Monday; "pre-loading" with cheaper drinks blamed for Saturday night crimes; DIY repairs blamed for fatal runabout sinking.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald leads with the search for missing West Auckland toddler Asiling Symes, saying police believe she might still be alive and with a stranger. The two year old child, a police diver and people searching the streets are all pictured. Former MP Taito Phillip Field's appearance in court for sentencing is reported, with a supporter calling "Be strong Phillip" as he was taken down to begin his prison term.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says Labour has pulled the shutters down on Field's fall, in contrast to how it stood by the MP at the time he was accused of corruption.
In its lead story, the paper outlines a Maritime New Zealand inquiry which found a boat sinking that claimed two lives off Horowhenua was due to "do-it-yourself" repairs on the runabout.
Missing toddler Asiling Symes was chasing ducklings just before she disappeared on Monday.
The Press
The Press leads with a new survey showing many young people in Christchurch are drinking the equivalent of 10 beers or 1.3 bottles of wine before going into the city on a Saturday night.
So-called "pre-loading" with cheaper drinks is blamed for a lot of drunkenness and alcohol-related crime.
The first of 10 new bus priority lanes in the city has opened. Inside, the paper reports that child-sex offender Graham Capill, the former Christian Heritage Party leader, has been denied parole.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times leads with the judge telling Taito Phillip Field he had "cynically" exploited Thai immigrants to further his own interests.
Dunedin City Council has again closed a scenic ocean drive after police recovered a body there in late September.
And there's an account of the second day's evidence in the trial of an Invercargill woman, 41, charged with assaulting three of her children.
