Gisborne Herald, which will cease to be published locally, will now only appear five days a week. There will be no Monday edition.
The Gisborne Herald is making these and other changes to cut costs and ensure a sustainable future in the face a challenging business and media environment.
“From next week the newspaper will be printed in Auckland by NZME and transported here together with NZME’s own publications,” managing director Michael Muir said.
“We are sad to be taking this step after 149 years of printing a newspaper in Gisborne.
“While this is a momentous change for us, we anticipate that the most noticeable change for our readers will be the addition of colour on every page.”
The Gisborne Herald’s national and global news pages will be provided by NZME as well, a long-time partner and publisher of The New Zealand Herald.
“This will assist us in focusing on the heart of our business — connecting our community and being a high-quality source of local news and information,” said editor Jeremy Muir. “We are committed to maintaining the publication of a trusted local newspaper in Tairāwhiti — both a print publication and a strong digital presence.”
Each edition will also include two puzzle pages.
On Tuesday, May 9, next week, the price of the paper will be increased to $3.50 for Saturday editions, and $3.50 for weekday issues.
Subscribers will see a price increase of $2 per edition, which is equivalent to $2.40. The weekly price, however, remains at $12. The price increase will be effective at the end of the current subscription period.
“Changes to the media landscape such as social media providing an alternative source of information and an alternative marketing platform, and consumers spending less time engaged with news services, have led to declining circulation and advertising revenue for newspapers worldwide,” Michael Muir said.
“The changes we are announcing today are in response to these challenges affecting our business — exacerbated by lockdowns and closed borders due to the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and more recently the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on the economy in our region.
“More than 2000 American newspapers went out of business between 2004 and 2020, and the trend hasn’t stopped.
“We know The Gisborne Herald has a good future, but we need to change our business model to ensure that.”
The Ellerslie location where The Gisborne Herald is printed also prints six regional daily papers as well as metropolitan newspapers.
Mr Muir noted that the Gisborne Herald is one of only two regional newspapers in the country to be printed on-site.
“Our isolation and roading fragility have been an important factor in continuing to print in Gisborne, but this was no longer sustainable.
We are confident that the newspapers will be delivered in most scenarios. There are three options for getting to Gisborne, including an airport. If a natural disaster or extreme weather event makes that impossible, there will be free access to all the important news coverage and information the people of Tairāwhiti will need to know on our website.”
The Gisborne Herald Tuesday edition will contain extra pages that cover the weekend’s news. First online, there will be more local news reports and sport coverage.
Newspaper subscribers who have not yet registered for their free digital access can do so by emailing [email protected]
The Gisborne Herald, which is currently available only in print outlets until late morning, will start rural deliveries at the same time as of next week. The same time will apply to the delivery of the Gisborne Herald in the city.
Michael Muir also said that The Gisborne Herald was saddened by the effects of these changes for a number of its colleagues.
“We appreciate the understanding and professional attitude of those affected as well as all staff during an unsettling time.”