Boring Newspapers

The local paper here, delivered free to 14,203 homes, is the Horowhenua News. Just like all papers, it loves a good crime story. But in a district where there were less than 2,000 crimes last year, it doesn't often get one.

I knew this was a good place to come and live when the front page story was about an old lady whose mailbox had been vandalised. Apparently, she was particularly worried because it happened on a Friday when lots of leaflets get delivered from the local shops. She didn't want to miss out on the special offers in town.

This week, we have the story of a break in at Horowhenua College where a DVD player was stolen, along with the slightly bizarre theft of a heart monitor from the local hospital. And last week, there was a break-in at a beach-house in Hokio, where the thieves made away with six cans of lager and a packet of marsh-mallows.

I feel safe in Levin, but I wish the local press was more interesting.