Man stabbed in Auckland rush hour; Tourist dies in jet boat crash; Maori Party suggest Clark's end is nigh; nine MPs bid farewell; Treelords becomes law; and more
- The North Island papers lead with the fatal stabbing of a man in his 40s who tried to help a woman who had been attacked as she left work yesterday. The Herald reports that the man was stabbed when he tried to intervene about 5.30pm. The victim staggered to Mills Lane, off Queen St, and called to construction workers. They and passers-by came to his aid, but he died at the scene. (Update: Police have arrested a 45 year-old man in relation to the attack).
- The death of a Chinese tourist when a jet boat hit a sandbar and flipped on the Kawerau River yesterday is prominent in the South Island papers. While 21 passengers were quickly rescued, The Press says one woman was left under the boat for more than an hour, despite repeated requests from the woman's companions to turn the boat over. The Otago Daily Times reports that nine other passengers were injured and that Kawerau Jet has suspended operations.
- Maori Party leader Pita Sharples is quoted in The Press as saying that Helen Clark "has been a great leader... but maybe she is nearing the end of her time". In an interview recorded for TVNZ, he said the Maori Party wanted "some power over money and resources" from any coalition deal.
- The Herald's latest DigiPoll shows little change after the Peters donation row, with National still above 50%. Labour is down slightly to 36% and New Zealand First is up 0.7%, but only to 2.8%.
- A sing-along and a call for a written constitution were highlights of yesterday's valedictory speeches in Parliament, the papers report. Nine MPs bid farewell to the House yesterday. Steve Maharey called for New Zealand to adopt a written constitution and recalled when he had been mistaken for Tana Umaga's hairdresser, Dover Samuels sang, and Speaker Margaret Wilson said women still have to adapt to the institution. New Zealand's first openly gay MP Tim Barnett said euthanasia should be legalised, while David Benson-Pope remained loyal to Labour in his final speech, not revealing whether or not he would stand as an independent in Dunedin South. Marian Hobbs, Paul Swain, Mark Gosche and Jill Pettis are also leaving.
- The largest-ever Treaty of Waitangi deal, known as Treelords, was passed into law yesterday. It returns $196m of crown forest covering 176,000 hectares in the central North Island to iwi ownership.
- Finally, official figures for the June quarter due out today are expected to confirm that New Zealand has been in recession for the first half of the year, the Dominion Post reports. Forecasters are predicting the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates by another 50 basis points next month.