SECRETS AND LIES: The New Zealand Herald leads today with a report that senior ministers rallied to the defence of the PM last night after she came under attack for helping a SOE lobby the government. An accompanying report says Mrs Shipley's predecessor Jim Bolger took conservationists' garffiti personallyt and Mrs Shipley tipped off Timberlands West Coast when new daubing appeared, papers leaked to Niky Hager show.

APEC CARPET: A photo report shows Auckland airport staff preparing a red carpet for use in the arrival of Bill Clinton in mid-September.

Also on the front page:

- LEILANI READ: a report that as Leilani Read's life support was switched off yesterday, her devastated Wellington team-mates wiped away the tears and walked on court at the national netball championships;

- NZSO LOSSES: a report that the NZ Symphony Orchestra has chalked up a $1.52 million loss for the year ended June and is forecasting a loss of more than $1 million this year;

Inside Political Headlines:

- Suing IBM may be costly for Govt - Lawyers only winners in dispute: Labour;
- Experts angry at lack of data on jabs;
- Urgency was applied to refugee ammendments inspite of a Chinese boat people update indicating the boat was not headed to NZ, the Dominion has found;
- Braeburn price may plunge - Industry cannot afford such blows: grower;
- Ministers spread out to deliver the word.

FLU CRISIS: The editorial discusses a health service in the midst of a flu crisis.

© 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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