NZ Herald
The paper reports Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard has taken a swipe at oil companies, power companies, local authorities and banks for not pulling their weight in the hard economic times. The Herald has a picture of a mass of Santas who descended on Auckland for their annual fun run through the city - but it seems the city's most famed Father Christmas is in the firing line. City leaders are toying with the idea of getting rid of the Whitcoulls Santa who is now 48 years old and costs $55,000 a year to maintain.
Dominion Post
The paper leads with Dr Bollard's speech, describing it as an 'unusual and pointed attack'. Elsewhere on the front page, primary school children's science achievement has plummeted to its worst level in 14 years, sparking urgent action by the Education Ministry. Kiwi children are now rated behind those of Kazakhstan. The Dominion Post has a photo of a smiling Qian Xun, abandoned by her father in a Melbourne railway station, who is now doing well and living in China.
The Press
The Press says New Zealand students are falling behind in science, with the subject the victim of 'curriculum crowding.' In maths, the country's Year 5 pupils are doing worse than children in more than half the other countries surveyed.
Otago Daily Times
The ODT continues with its stories on fraud uncovered at the Otago District Health Board. Chair Richard Thomson says a warning about Michael Swann's extravagant lifestyle was not ignored. Proposed Dunedin Hilton developer Dan McEwan is further mired in court action after he was convicted on six Securities Act breaches in the Auckland District Court. In sport, the West Indies and New Zealand cricketers will do battle in the first test at the University Oval on Wednesday.
