Owen vs. Winston; likely election date; cancer patients fly over the ditch; meat industry overhaul; paralympian takes a tumble; teen gets $15,000 payout from McDonalds; southern hydro lakes send power north
- The much-anticipated showdown is on; expat billionaire Owen Glenn appears before the parliamentary privileges committee this afternoon. He told the Herald that he just wants to clear his name over a $100,000 donation he gave New Zealand First in 2005 and whatever happens to party leader Winston Peters as a result is not his responsibility. Today's committee session seeks to clear up a major discrepancy in the stories told by Mr Glenn and Mr Peters. Mr Glenn says the Foreign Minister asked him personally for the donation while Mr Peters says he knew nothing of the donation until this year, and that it was sought by his lawyer Brian Henry. Winston Peters appears before the committee tomorrow. In other donation news, police will investigate Act leader Rodney Hide's complaint over an $80,000 donation to the Spencer Trust last year.
- Colin Espiner of the Press considers that the most likely date for the national election is November 8.
- Auckland cancer patients are again being sent to Australia for treatment because waiting times have become excessive, the Herald reports. Lower risk patients are headed to Waikato Hospital to avoid waits of at least 12 weeks for radiation therapy.
- Dunedin-based Silver Fern Farms shareholders have voted to form a partnership with PGG Wrightson. The move is considered a sign that farmers are ready to overhaul the meat industry, reports the Otago Daily Times.
- The Dominion Post features an interview with gold medal-winning paralympian Paula Tesoriero, a Wellington lawyer. After setting a world record in track cycling yesterday, the 33-year-old, who does not have the use of her legs below the knee, fell over the top of her handlebars while reaching out for a New Zealand flag. She was sent to hospital.
- The Press leads with a teen's $15,000 payout from the Kaiapoi McDonald's. Chantelle Coup, 19, was forced to quit after she joined a union. Ms Coup was asked to resign from the union, had her hours cut, and said she was bullied at work. The McDonald's franchisee said her hours were cut because of her work performance.
- Also in the Press, rain and melting snow have put the South Island hydro lakes in better health. Electricity is being sent to the North Island for the first time in months.