Drunk driver who killed a woman given 12 months home detention; Otago on alert in tail-end of the storm; "impeccable" behaviour at Tuhoe Treaty hui at Parliament.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald leads with a report that a drunk driver who killed a woman has been spared prison after a judge said her agoraphobia would cause her "difficulties" if she was locked up in a cell.
Instead, the woman who killed Tara Groenstein, 36, has been given 12 months of home detention and disqualified from driving for four years.The victim's family is outraged.
P&O Cruises is considering compensation for more than 3000 passengers aboard the Pacific Sun after a "ferocious" storm battered the cruiseliner on Wednesday. At least 57 passengers needed medical attention.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says waterlogged towns are racing to fix storm damage, with the threat of more floods looming.
And there's extensive coverage of the Tuhoe Treaty hui at Parliament on Thursday. The paper says the behaviour of Tame Iti was "impeccable" but a one-fingered gesture by his Ruatoki neighbour Te Weeti risked souring what it describes as an historic step toward Tuhoe repairing its troubled relationship with the Crown.
The Press
The Press reports much of Canterbury is under water as the storm marches south.
A stranded householder near Sefton is pictured waving from the deck of his home which is totally surrounded by water.
Another picture shows a major slip blocking the road near Kaikoura.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says Otago is on alert, with rivers being monitored closely as the region experienced heavy rain from the tail-end of the storm.
An Environment Court judge says the cumulative effects of the Mahinerangi wind farm and others around New Zealand need to be considered before a final decision is made about Project Hayes.
Hampden School is reviewing a decision to allow pupils to use home-made toy guns in supervised 'pig hunting role play'. The paper says children took turns to be hunter, pig and dogs during the activity.
