Thousands of weapons being seized at New Zealand courts every year; three kindergarten kids gone for two hours after climbing a wall and crossing a busy highway; man stabbed twice in the arm outside child-care centre in Dunedin.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald labels the nation's courthouses as woefully inadequate and says thousands of weapons are being seized at New Zealand courts every year.
It also says questions are being raised over the age of Chinese gold medal winning gymnast He Kexin who's reported to be 14 and not 16 as she claims.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says motorists should pay more to drive cars to pay for soaring oil prices. An independent report titled 'Managing Transport When Oil Prices Rise' says the fees should include more expensive car parks and road surcharges.
The papers says three kindergarten kids climbed a wall and crossed a busy highway on Wednesday. The trio from Oakura Kindergarten were gone for almost two hours. The incident is being investigated by the Education Ministry
The Press
The Press also warns about drivers facing higher charges and says the increased costs would be coupled with investment in public transport and tax breaks.
The paper also raises concerns about the housing market - saying investors are in a frenzy over an estimated five fold increase in mortgage sales in the last year, with demand much higher than supply.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times leads with the likely loss of 145 jobs at the Cadbury factory in Dunedin, calling it a 'Bittersweet bombshell'.
The ODT also features a reports young father was stabbed twice in the arm outside a Dunedin child-care centre on Thursday morning in what's being described as a random attack.