WELLINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - Following are some of the lead stories from New Zealand metropolitan newspapers on Thursday.
Stories may be taken from either the paper or Internet editions of the papers.
Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
DOMINION POST(www.stuff.co.nz)
Red-zoned provinces: Swaths of provincial New Zealand could be effectively "red zoned' as local councils are forced to abandon their shrinking and ageing communities, a new report says.
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National holds on to huge lead: National appears to be tightening its grip on the election, with our latest poll cementing its massive lead. Today's stuff.co.nz/Ipsos Political poll has National on 54.8 per cent support - a staggering 30-point lead over Labour, but down 1.7 points from our last poll.
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Infratil's review may lead to sale: NZX-listed Infratil has moved further down the strategic review road which could see it sell some of its Australian-based energy assets, possibly worth about A$280 million (NZ$298m) and a sale is seen as likely, according to one analyst.
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Port of Tauranga wins Southern Star deal: Global shipping firm Maersk says its decision to shift its Southern Star service from Auckland back to Tauranga is part of a revamp of its services, including a new one that will be announced within two weeks.
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NEW ZEALAND HERALD (www.nzherald.co.nz)
Greens woo business with R&D aid: The Green Party is attempting to boost its economic credentials by making a business-friendly promise to hand out $1 billion more in tax breaks and grants to help New Zealand companies focus on innovation.
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Labour reassures makeup users on testing ban: Labour is reassuring consumers that a proposed ban on cosmetics tested on animals will not strip popular makeup and beauty brands from New Zealand shelves.
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OCR tipped to rise next week: Economists still expect the Reserve Bank to raise its official cash rate to 3.5 per cent next week, but are questioning the case for another increase before the end of the year, following benign inflation numbers in the June quarter and export dairy prices dropping with a thud.
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Netflix tipped to head into Australasia by the middle of next year: Film and TV streaming website Netflix could be launched in New Zealand and Australia by the middle of next year, according to reports.
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