Friday's headlines: People of New Zealand thanked as Govt total for Christchurch rebuild reaches $15 billion; Thames-Coromandel seen as the booziest district in Waikato - it has more alcohol outlets per person than anywhere else in the region.
NZ Herald
The New Zealand Herald dubs Finance Minister Bill English - "Bill the Builder" - as it looks at Thursday's Budget.
The paper describes it as a hold-the-line Budget, with no new big-ticket spending - but the lure of $1 billion cuts to ACC bills before next year's election.
It says the Budget attempts to tackle the housing shortage, with urgent legislation for 'special housing areas' to speed residential building in Auckland and to fund 'social' as well as 'state' houses.
Waikato Times
The Waikato Times leads with Thames-Coromandel as the booziest district in the region. Residents and retailers are divided over the need for more liquor stores.
Coromandel already has more alcohol outlets per person than anywhere else in the region.
While it means tourists are able to get their supplies for their holidays easily, the paper says people are worried there are just too many outlets for the region's regular residents.
Dominion Post
The Dominion Post says the looming housing bubble has spooked the Government into urgent action in the Budget to rein in prices and speed up new housing developments.
In an otherwise predictable Budget, it says a three-pronged stab at taking the steam out of the housing market includes Government intervention to boost land supply, new rules to control bank lending and wider eligibility for income-related rent subsidies.
The Press
The Press says that after nearly five years of reminders that there is no silver bullet, Bill English's fifth Budget ticked all the finance minister's boxes.
It says the Budget was predictable, boring and there was almost nothing in it that had not already been well-signalled in advance.
The Press also has reaction to the Budget - Mayor Bob Parker is quoted saying: "That brings the Government total to $15 billion for us, essentially from the people of New Zealand. Thank you, we're so very grateful for that."
ODT
The Otago Daily Times says there's plenty for the South in the Budget.
It says most attention was directed towards the Budget's lack of housing in Auckland and Canterbury - but there was certainly something for those in business south of Waitaki.
The ODT says many of the highlights of the Budget will dovetail into the Dunedin City Economic Development Plan, which was adopted last year.
