Friday's headlines: Dunedin airport paralysed by elaborate bomb hoax; harshest penalties in Australasian sporting history imposed on Melbourne Storm; power failure in Wellington was caused by a piece of wire.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald reports the NRL premiers Melbourne Storm have been hammered with the harshest penalties in Australasian sporting history after the discovery of secret files revealing breaches of rugby league's tough salary cap rules.
Returning the legal age for buying alcohol to 20 looks likely to be a hot topic when it comes before Parliament again, accompanied by strict recommendations for dealing with binge-drinking problems.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post reports a power failure that stranded people in lifts, caused commuter chaos and left window cleaners marooned up a high-rise building was caused by a piece of wire.
The fault at Transpower's Wilton substation cut power throughout Wellington for about an hour on Thursday, affecting more than 84,000 customers.
And a man who killed his stepfather in a frenzied axe attack was obsessed with the Maori Queen and believed he was in the grip of a makutu, or curse.
Preston Rameka was found not guilty of murder by way of insanity in the High Court at Auckland on Thursday.
The Press
The Press reports the Government has announced a team of Commissioners to run Canterbury Regional Council - six men who will each earn $900 for every day they work.
They will join Dame Margaret Bazley as the commissioners, replacing the elected councillors who made their farewells on Thursday.
Also on the front page: on liquor reform, the paper says the Government will be urged to raise the excise tax on alcohol.
NRL chief executive David Gallop describes the elaborate lengths the Melbourne Storm went to hide breaches of the salary cap.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says an elaborate bomb hoax paralysed Dunedin international airport for five hours on Thursday, disrupting travel plans for an estimated 600 passengers.
A new report says tenders for carpentry at the Forsyth Barr Stadium are "significantly over budget".
