19 Oct 2010

Tuesday's morning newspaper headlines

9:19 am on 19 October 2010

Chaos for parents predicted as teachers strike; fate of quake-hit homes known this week; squally winds, thunder and snow possible as a cold front sweeps up South Island.

NZ Herald

More than 120,000 students will be asked to stay home for a day this week, after the teachers union rejected what the Ministry of Education describes as an excellent pay offer.

About 100 seats in the $250 million Eden Park upgrade are said to be useless because almost all of one try line and a good chunk of the field are blocked from view.

Dominion Post

Secondary school principals are preparing to send pupils home on Wednesday as 16,000 teachers begin nationwide rolling strikes, just weeks out from NCEA exams. Prime Minister John Key says the Government's offer to teachers is a good one and he believes parents are on its side.

Parliament has been told serious changes to the maternity system are needed to protect babies during birth. Compulsory supervision of first-year midwives is among the recommendations from the health select committee.

The Press

Phone calls to about 1200 Christchurch homeowners will begin on Tuesday in the first step to decide the fate of their earthquake-hit houses.

On the weather front: squally winds, thunder and lightning, hail and snow are all possible as a volatile cold front makes it way up the South Island. MetService is warning of a moderate to high risk of thunderstorms being triggered by the cold southerly change, bringing heavy rain and squalls gusting to 110 km/h.

Otago Daily Times

Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium has a date for its first major international conference - the 2013 Global Botanic Gardens Congress. Dunedin is said to have fended off a strong bid from Hawaii to secure the conference.

Southern film chief Kevin Jennings has high hopes many scenes for The Hobbit movies will be filmed in the Wakatipu next year.