Wednesday's headlines: earthquake claims process has reached the halfway stage; legal aid denied for former Bridgecorp director Rod Petricevic; rampant nepotism found by report into police culture.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald reports former Bridgecorp director Rod Petricevic wants taxpayers to pay his legal fees.
On Tuesday he was denied legal aid, but his $460 million fraud case has been postponed to give his lawyer time to decide whether to appeal.
And the Herald reveals more details about a former Auckland man who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend in Sydney 24 ago.
It reports that Grant David Mitchell was a virtual recluse, who would sometimes mumble about killing someone in a previous life.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post reports that cars could be banned from Courtenay Place between 6am - 6pm on weekdays, under a proposal from Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown.
The paper also discusses a report into police culture, which found rampant nepotism, discrimination against women and poor performance among senior staff.
The Press
The Press leads with the report into police culture and says it is likely to result in the departure of deputy commissioner Rob Pope.
The paper says the reports key findings include no action having been taken to deal with poorly performing staff and files revealing highly inappropriate behaviour which would have earned dismissal in any other workplace.
The paper also reports that the Canterbury earthquake claims process has reached the halfway stage, with more than 84,500 properties having been viewed by assessors.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times reports that plans to spend almost $30 million in reshaping Dunedin's library service over the next six years, could be cut in half under a proposal to be discussed by city councillors this week.
The John Wilson Drive in Dunedin could be open to motorists during certain hours by the end of the month, though the city council still faces a bill of more than $200,000 to redevelop the scenic coastal road.
