A high school prefect with aspirations to be Prime Minister has won the National Party selection to stand in Palmerston North in 2020; and ASB has injected a sombre tone into its latest quarterly economic forecast, warning the slow down in growth hasn’t finished yet and calling for the Government to do more to boost confidence.
* The New Zealand Herald
In the New Zealand Herald, two young children were carried to safety by armed police moments after a man who had been holding them hostage was shot dead. The children, aged 4 and 6, were rushed to an ambulance after a 15-hour ordeal which began in the early hours of yesterday when the man threatened his partner with a knife in a Tauranga suburb.
In other news, a high school prefect with aspirations to be Prime Minister has won the National Party selection to stand in Palmerston North in 2020. But it will be a big hill for 17-year-old William Wood to climb, as the electorate is held by Cabinet Minister Iain Lees-Galloway, who had a 6392 majority in 2017.
In business news, ASB has injected a sombre tone into its latest quarterly economic forecast, warning the slow down in growth hasn’t finished yet and calling for the Government to do more to boost confidence. In a report released this morning ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley highlights lackluster per capita GDP growth – which he says will struggle to stay in positive territory as top line growth slides below two per cent per annum in the first quarter of 2020.
* The Dominion Post
In the Dominion Post, Labour and its coalition partners are riding high, while National has dropped below 40 per cent support in a recent Stuff/YouGov poll. The poll put Labour at 41 per cent support, National at 38 per cent, both the Greens and NZ First at 8 per cent, and ACT at 2 per cent.
In other news, growing numbers of public servants are working from home as part of a massive public sector shake-up.Fifteen of the country’s 32 public service departments are now offering flexible working arrangements for employees on a trial basis, with the policy intended to be rolled out sector-wide by the end of next year.
In business news, the sight of vacant shops on Upper Hutt’s main drag has become too much for the city council who have hidden them behind giant stickers.Six retail spaces at the northern end of Main St are being covered with window wraps by the Upper Hutt City Council after standing empty for a number of years. the empty shops in the city’s CBD have been an ongoing source of complaint among retailers who say it is not a good look for the city.
*The Press
In The Press, a father says he is ‘‘furious’’ his 7-month-old son died from suspected meningitis, despite the baby being taken to hospital three times.David Chaloner’s baby, Zoren, died on Thursday, November 7 at Ashburton Hospital.
In other news, the $6 million penultimate section of the Christchurch Coastal Pathway is complete, but the final and most expensive stage is at least seven years away.The full potential of the 6.5 kilometre Coastal Pathway, linking Ferrymead and Scarborough Beach, cannot be realised until the 800-metre stretch around Moncks Bay is complete.
In business news, new details of Christchurch’s new metro sports facility reveal its floor layout and features including a dry dive centre, circus training facilities, acrobatic harnesses and dance floors.The $300 million building – in the early stages of construction as one of the city’s anchor rebuild projects – is due to be finished in late 2021 and open in early 2022 following a string of delays.
