Wednesday's headlines: price of baches being hit by the recession; new water restrictions breached by council in Christchurch; baby boom predicted if All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald leads with a large picture of Sonny Bill Williams accompanied by a large headline "Heart throbs - literally".
The paper reports that a study has found a link between watching rugby and troubles such as irregular heartbeats or heart attacks. Early results show jumps in participants' heart rates during nailbiting parts of matches.
Charges have been laid against bankrupt businesswoman May Wang by the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Waikato Times
The Waikato Times reports the Lion Foundation, which owns more than 200 gaming machines in Hamilton, is refusing funding to events at several city festivals. That's prompted the chairman of one of the festivals to complain to Mayor Julie Hardaker.
And the paper says while some Waikato tourists posts have prospered from the influx of international tourists during the Rugby World Cup, business has been patchy in Hamilton city.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says the Government is considering charging for the policing of big commercial events such as the Rugby World Cup.
The recession is hitting the price of baches with a bach at Otaki beach falling in price from $475,000 to $360,000. A real estate agent says the area is suffering its biggest slump in 20 years.
And there's a photo of a half-motorbike half-car built by an auto technician. The back half looks like a car, while the front looks like a motorbike.
The Press
The Press leads with National promising to add half a million workers to the KiwiSaver scheme if re-elected.
Christchurch City Council has breached its own water restrictions, less than two weeks after they were introduced. Council sprinklers were spotted in action in Bexley on Monday.
And the paper profiles a woman who fell from a cliff to her death in Sumner at the weekend. Natalia Hume was abandoned in a shoebox at a Russian orphanage as a baby.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says "it never rains but it pours - dry spell over, floods for some". Months of dry conditions in coastal Otago ended after heavy rain in the area on Tuesday.
And the paper predicts a baby boom if the All Blacks win the Rugby World Cup. Records for 1987 show a brief spike in the number of babies being born, nine months after New Zealand won the World Cup final.
