23 Aug 2011

Morning Report: local papers

7:08 am on 23 August 2011

Tuesday's headlines: Murupara couple won $12 million on Lotto; Arts Centre and Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch no longer insured; back-down on pond fencing ruling.

NZ Herald

The New Zealand Herald leads with a woman who's calling for the Government to ban or regulate tanning beds. She blames her skin cancer on the beds and supports a move by the Commerce Commission to warn sunbed operators for making misleading claims about the health benefits of tanning.

The All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad is being named in Brisbane on Tuesday - the paper says Hosea Gear and Liam Messam will be the highest profile casualties.

Dominion Post

The Dominion Post dedicates much of the front page to a profile of the Corporal Doug Grant of the SAS who was killed in Afghanistan on Friday.

There's also coverage of a couple from the Bay of Plenty town of Murupara who won Lotto, who took home $12 million.

And Kapiti Coast District Council has backed down on a demand that residents put up fences around ponds which border their properties.

The Press

The Press lead is the Government's decision to pay for a lawyer to help the families of earthquake victims. Prime Minister John Key is quoted as saying an extra lawyer dedicated to the families' interests will now assist the royal commission.

Also on the front page news: two heritage buildings damaged in Christchurch's quakes are now uninsured. The Arts Centre and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament have had their insurance cancelled and will no longer be covered for any damage from future quakes.

ODT

The Otago Daily Times reports a Oamaru primary school is the first in the Otago region to be publicly punished for not following the Ministry of Education's national standards. The school was going to host a Pasifika meeting, but the ministry has changed the venue, saying the school's charter did not comply with legislative requirements.

The battle on the streets of Libya's capital, Tripoli, also makes the front page.