Monday's headlines: Police treating 21st birthday party brawl as homicide inquiry; more than two-thirds of all student loans not yet fully repaid; link found between liquor outlets numbers and risk of heavy drinking.
NZ Herald:
The New Zealand Herald reports that a young man with severe brain injuries was fighting for his life in hospital after a huge brawl at an 21st birthday party in Auckland. The paper says at least 50 people were involved in the fight and police are treating it as a homicide inquiry.
The paper also reports nearly 900,000 people have taken student loans since the scheme started and more than two-thirds have not fully repaid the money.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post leads with an interview with the survivor of the Te Horo roadside picnic crash, Marilyn Jeffery. Mrs Jeffrey told the paper that she and her friend Shelagh Cotter shared a love of gardening, cooking and hearing about each other's grandchildren.
Mrs Cotter died on Sunday from the injuries she received after a car hit her and Mrs Jeffrey as they had a coffee and homemade muffins on the side of the road.
The Lonely Planet travel guide has named Wellington as the coolest capital city.
The Press
The Press reports the co-owner of the Manchester Courts building says demolition work on the building could take twice as long because the Christchurch City Council has pulled its support.
Richard Peebles says the council has backed out of an agreement to help with the demolition, leaving him struggling to pay for the work. But the council denies it is walking away from its responsibilities.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was one of several leaders who asked the Prime Minister at the weekend's East Asia summit how Canterbury is coping after the earthquake.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says a new University of Otago study highlights a link between the numbers of nearby liquor outlets and increased risk of heavy drinking. Researchers have found that people with more off-licences within 1km of their home are more likely to be binge drinkers.
Former Dunedin mayor Peter Chin poured just over $43,000 into his failed bid to hold on to the city's mayoralty.