WINZ: The Dominion leads this morning with a report that a manager suspended from Work and Income New Zealand refused to attend a disciplinary hearing yesterday because it was being conducted by her boss who has publicly blamed her for chartering flights using taxpayer money.

HILLARY BIRTHDAY: The front-page photo shows an ebullient Sir Edmund Hillary cutting his 80th Birthday cake at Government House.

Also on the front page:

- WANGANUI EXPLOSION: a report that the 14-year-old boy found bleeding to death at his Wanganui home may have been killed by an explosive device;

- MOA EGGS DATED: a report that new radiocarbon dating of moa egg shells suggests New Zealand was colonised by Maori around 700 years ago;

- STOWAWAYS: a report that four Colombian stowaways taken from a ship berthed at Napier yesterday were lucky to avoid drowning or starvation after what they thought would be a short-trip turned into a 19-day voyage halfway around the world.

Inside:

- ELVIS SEEN IN HOUSE: Helen Bain's About The House column reports that Elvis is seen in shady goings on in the house;

- NO TO NZ FIRST: a report that the Alliance and ACT have said they will not coalesce with NZ First under any circumstances;

- PM IN CHINA: a report that Human Rights issues were raised in passing when the PM met the Chinese Premiere;

- WOODFORD HOUSE SUSPENSION: a report that the father of a girl suspended from Napier's Woodford House has told a District Court he did not believe the school had the power to terminate its contract to educate her.

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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