Friday's headlibnes: 'Seven lost at sea' aboard American yacht; stolen-to-order car shops busted in Wellington; Carisbrook site sold to construction company; average rates to rise 3.8% in Hamilton.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald leads with the headline '7 lost at sea'. New Zealand meteorologist Bob McDavitt took the last known call from seven people aboard a classic American yacht missing in the Tasman Sea.
Attempts to contact the crew of the Nina by radio, and an intensive aerial search this week have proved fruitless.
And Auckland is likely to get a new Waitemata harbour crossing as part of a transport plan due to be announced on Friday.
Waikato Times
The Waikato Times leads with the news that the average rates rise for Hamilton homeowners is 3.8%. Property owners in the northeast of the city will face the largest rises, with some rates bills up 35%.
And the paper says a female churchgoer who sexually abused the young son of a family she boarded with, has narrowly avoided prison.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says police have busted a series of stolen-to-order car shops across the Wellington region. The cars were stolen, stripped down and reassembled within the shells of legitimate cars and then sold via social media websites.
Archives New Zealand has struck a deal with the Park Road Post company to take over a film processing laboratory. The paper says Archives NZ will use the lab to restore more than 1000 films over the next five years.
The Press
The Press reports that Christchurch ratepayers are to pay $253 million for a new stadium in the city. But Mayor Bob Parker told the paper that the rebuild of homes and communities is the main priority, and that a start date for the stadium is not clear.
And the paper has a picture of soldiers at the Manchester street cordon in central Christchurch. Friday marks the final time Defence personnel will operate cordons in the the city.
ODT
The Otago Daily Times reports the woman behind a $100 million waterfront hotel in Dunedin is prepared to compromise to get the project started.
Jing Song told the paper that the hotel's design, including its height and location could be reconsidered.
And the sale of Carisbrook to the Calder Stewart construction company has been confirmed, but details of its future remain unclear.