NZ Herald
The paper leads with a new survey which says nearly a third of the country's 500 most popular swimming spots are not safe. A Consumer New Zealand water quality survey has found 29% cent of beaches, lakes and rivers have bacteria levels so high that the Ministry for the Environment recommends staying out of the water. And in a feature series which begins today, the New Zealand Herald lists the names that shame New Zealand - Lillybing, Delcelia Whittaker, the Kahui twins and others. The paper's week-long series will examine child abuse in New Zealand, whether the victims are getting justice and what is being done to turn things around.
Dominion Post
The top story in the Dominion Post is the weekend death of a Christchurch taxi driver. The paper speaks to Wellington cabbies who say every taxi driver who works night shift has been attacked, beaten or abused. Many will no longer work evenings for fear of violence. The paper says the State Services Commission has begun an internal review into its handling of contracts with a privately owned consulting firm that has been paid more than $8 million.
The Press
The paper says the car of slain taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari lacked the hi-tech security system of many Christchurch taxis. Mr Ikhtiari, who fled persecution in his native Afghanistan to find a better life in New Zealand, was killed on Worcester Street about 1am on Saturday. And the Press says New Zealand's scientific community is in mourning after one of the country's top ecologists, Dr Peter Wardle, 76, died while tramping in the Arthurs Pass National Park on Saturday.
Otago Daily Times
The ODT examines the aftermath from the high profile fraud trial involving the Otago District Health Board. The paper says the then board received an unsubstantiated letter as far back as 1998 warning hospital management about its decision to employ Michael Swann. On Friday, Swann and Kerry Harford were found guilty of defrauding the board of $16.9 million.
