1 Aug 2012

Morning Report: local papers

7:01 am on 1 August 2012

Wednesday's headlines: Bronze medal for NZ equestrian team at Olympics, strip club in Christchurch to fight to keep its building; Australian holiday-makers really enjoying Queenstown.

NZ Herald

The New Zealand Herald devotes its entire front page to New Zealand's bronze winning equestrian performance in the teams eventing. Although Mark Todd's dropped rails cost him an individual medal, the team bronze gave him his fifth Olympic medal overall and the country's first in the sport since he won individual bronze in Sydney 12 years ago.

Waikato Times

The Waikato Times reports the region is bearing the brunt of a nationwide whooping cough epidemic, with the region recording the third highest infection rate for the past month. There were 36 cases of the disease confirmed by Waikato District Health Board in the past four weeks.

The paper also pictures identical twins and ardent Chiefs fans Sam and Marty Mikaere, whose grinning faces have become emblematic of the Chiefs' success this year. They share more than looks - neither has washed their Chiefs' jersey all season.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post leads with a call from the Cancer Society for New Zealanders to take responsibility for cancer prevention.

At a lecture in Wellington, society chief executive Dalton Kelly said people should take a greater role in keeping themselves healthy, rather than relying on the government to ''pick up the pieces'' caused by their ''risky'' lifestyles.

And 'on yer bike' - a Wellington commuter train was halted for 15 minutes on Tuesday, as two police officers threatened to arrest a passenger because she had taken her bike with her.

The Press

The Press reports a Christchurch strip club will fight the Government through the courts if it tries to demolish its building for the city's proposed eastern ''frame''.

Calendar Girls director Jacqui Le Prou says she believes the strip club and a neighbouring gym should stay because they were two of the city's best performing buildings - both seismically and commercially.

And ratepayers face having to bankroll most of Christchurch's planned new civic facilities after the city council was given a clear message by the Government that it will not pick up the tab.

ODT

The Otago Daily Times reports drunk and violent Australian holiday-makers are stretching police resources in Queenstown. Two Australian men were arrested early on Tuesday, following a 12-man-brawl on Shotover Street.

Less than an hour later police attended two separate domestic violence incidents involving Australian couples staying at resort hotels.