Friday's papers: investor confidence being "shot to pieces" by global fall on markets; petrol prices seen as too high; health camp under threat of closure.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald says customers are paying too much for petrol. It reports drivers are paying 30 cents per litre more than they were the last time crude oil prices were at Thursday's level.
Japan's prime minister has warned that the United States bank bailout is insufficient and is contributing to the renewed plunge in world stock markets.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post describes Thursday's events as 'market madness,' with investor confidence being "shot to pieces" as shares around the world suffered their biggest fall since the 1987 crash.
A row between Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples and John Key over what was said behind closed doors has forced an admission from the National leader that scrapping the Maori seats is no longer a bottom line.
Two overcrowded and rundown schools for severely disabled children in the Wellington region are to be closed and rebuilt in an $18 million redevelopment.
The Press
In The Press, coroner Sue Johnson says the Government should raise the driving age before there are more fatalities involving 15-year-old drivers.
The statement was made at an inquest into the death of Christchurch City councillor and Paralympian Graham Condon, who was killed in September last year when a car hit him while he was cycling.
South Korean backpacker Jae Hyeon Kim wrote to his family of his travels in 2003, saying he felt "rich" from his New Zealand adventure. On Thursday, his body was recovered from a remote location at Charleston on the West Coast.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says central Otago leaders are coming out in strong support of the Roxburgh Health Camp, which is under threat of closure.
Retired Sisters of Mercy living at the McAuley House rest-home in south Dunedin will need alternative accommodation when it closes next month. The eight residents range in age from 76 to 100 years.
