The origins The Star The first edition of The Evening Star Published on May 1, 1863
It was first owned by brothers George and William Henningham but the siblings did not get on and William soon bought his brother’s share in the business.
The newspaper’s office was on Stafford St and it was printed by its neighbour, Mill, Dick and Co.
On February 2,1864, the most destructive fire Dunedin has ever seen ripped through Stafford St and Hope St, destroying 30 buildings, including the house of The Evening Star.
The newspaper was then re-established nearby, but struggled. In 1869, George Bell purchased the paper and merged it with his newspaper. The Evening Independent.
By 1885, the newspaper had a circulation of 50,000 a week — enough to claim it had the biggest circulation in the country.
The newspaper published 20,000 copies on October 11, 1928.
Later the same year on December 27 the paper announced it was moving into grand new premises on the corner of Stuart and Cumberland St, running a seven-page feature on the history of the newspaper, and proudly claiming, with the exception of ground floor shops and part of the first floor, the entire 4970sq m of space in the new building would be occupied by the Evening Star Company, Ltd.
In 1975, competing daily newspapers began to appear. Otago Daily Times You can also find out more about the following: The Evening Star Allied Press Ltd. was formed when the two companies merged.
You can also find out more about the following: The Evening Star ceased publication as a daily paper on November 3, 1979, relaunching the following week as twice weekly community newspaper The Star Midweek Then, there is the The Star Weekender.
From early 2002, the publication was known as The Weekly Edition. The StarIt continues to serve Dunedin’s community.