Stuff (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | News media |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | New Zealand , New Zealand |
Area served | New Zealand |
Key people | Sinead Boucher (Executive Chair and Publisher), Laura Maxwell (CEO) |
| Products | Newspapers, magazines, websites, social networking platform (Neighbourly), evening news program (ThreeNews) |
| Owner | Sinead Boucher (since 31 May 2020) |
| Website | stuff |
Stuff Limited (previously known as Fairfax New Zealand) is a privately owned news media organisation based in New Zealand. It manages Stuff, the nation's leading news website, and holds ownership of nine daily newspapers, including The Post and The Press, which rank as the country’s second and third largest circulation dailies, along with the foremost weekly publication, Sunday Star-Times. Its magazine collection features TV Guide, the most widely sold weekly magazine in New Zealand. Additionally, Stuff owns the social networking platform Neighbourly.
Ownership of Stuff transferred to Sinead Boucher on 31 May 2020. The firm underwent rebranding from Fairfax New Zealand Limited to Stuff Limited on 1 February 2018. In December 2024, Stuff restructured its operations into two segments: Masthead Publishing for print media and Stuff Digital for online content. Subsequently, in June 2025, online marketplace Trade Me acquired a 50% share in Stuff Digital, with Stuff’s real estate section renamed Trade Me Property.
Fairfax Media Era, 2003–2018
In 2003, Australian company Fairfax Media purchased the print titles and the Stuff website from Independent Newspapers Limited.
Following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in November 2016 that isolated Kaikōura by severing road connections, Stuff (then operating as Fairfax New Zealand) provided complimentary newspaper editions to local residents.
In 2016, Fairfax New Zealand and New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) applied for approval from the Commerce Commission to merge their New Zealand businesses. The proposed arrangement would have resulted in Fairfax Media owning a 41% stake and receiving $55 million in cash within the merged entity. However, on 2 May 2017, the Commerce Commission declined consent. This ruling was upheld by the Wellington High Court in December 2017 and later by the Court of Appeal in September 2018. Following these decisions, Stuff and NZME abandoned merger plans in October 2018.
Fairfax New Zealand Limited officially changed its name to Stuff Limited on 1 February 2018.
Nine Entertainment Ownership, 2018–2020
In July 2018, Fairfax Media merged with Australia's Nine Entertainment, resulting in Nine assuming control over Stuff and its New Zealand newspaper assets. A year later, in July 2019, Nine sought to divest Stuff but did not receive any satisfactory offers.
By November 2019, NZME entered discussions with Nine regarding a potential acquisition of Stuff and introduced a "Kiwishare" proposal to the New Zealand Government aimed at safeguarding editorial independence and supporting local journalism.
On 11 May 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis, NZME proposed purchasing Stuff for a nominal $1 to preserve employment. Nine responded by ending negotiations, prompting NZME to file an urgent court injunction to resume talks. The Auckland High Court denied NZME's request for an interim injunction on 19 May.
Ownership under Sinead Boucher, 2020–present
On 25 May 2020, Nine Entertainment consented to sell Stuff to its CEO, Sinead Boucher, for NZ$1, finalising the company's return to New Zealand ownership by 31 May. Nine retained proceeds from selling Stuff Fibre to telecommunications firm Vocus Group and maintained possession of Stuff’s printing press located in Wellington.
Subsequent court documents revealed that Nine had intended to close down Stuff if neither a merger nor sale was completed by the end of May.
2022 news team restructuring
On 18 October 2022, Stuff revealed plans to reorganize its regional and local newsroom operations. The reporting staff at the Manawatū Standard, Nelson Mail, and Timaru Herald were set to be reduced from seven to three journalists each, while the Taranaki Daily News and The Southland Times would maintain four reporters apiece. Positions for news directors at regional newspapers were removed, with the expectation that remaining editors would also take on reporting duties. To counterbalance these reductions, Stuff introduced a new regional structure featuring a group editor, four news directors, and nine reporters dedicated to breaking news. Several staff members raised concerns about the increased demands this would place on their workloads.
Journalists associated with the E tū union responded by organizing strikes in December 2022. Despite resistance, Stuff moved forward with the restructuring initiative. Chief Content Officer Joanna Norris defended the decision, emphasizing the creation of an internal news service designed to comprehensively cover regional New Zealand. Nevertheless, Mayor of Nelson Nick Smith expressed apprehension regarding potential declines in the quality of local coverage at the Nelson Mail.
Flagship brands' web launch
On 27 April 2023, Stuff announced the launch of subscription-based websites for three newspapers: The Dominion Post—which was rebranded as The Post starting 29 April—along with The Press and Waikato Times. These subscription platforms operate alongside Stuff’s free news site. In October 2024, Janine Fenwick, Head of Growth at Stuff Digital, confirmed a reorganization of regional news content: North Island publications (including the Taranaki Daily News, Manawatu Standard, and Wairarapa Times-Age) would be consolidated under The Post’’ website, whereas South Island titles (such as the Southland Times, Nelson Mail, Timaru Herald, and Marlborough Express) would be grouped on The Press. Subscribers receive a unified package granting unlimited access across these digital offerings.
2024 developments
On 16 April 2024, Stuff finalized an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to supplant Newshub’s existing news service with a Stuff-produced evening news program commencing 6 July 2024. The bulletin is scheduled to air weekdays from 6pm to 7pm and for half an hour on weekends. Warner Bros. Discovery will compensate Stuff with an annual fee believed to be in the multi-million-dollar range. Staffing plans include recruiting fewer than fifty former Newshub employees for production roles.
On 7 May 2024, Stuff announced the hiring of seven ex-Newshub journalists—including Samantha Hayes and Jenna Lynch—to develop the new 6pm bulletin alongside other news content. By late May, this broadcast was officially titled ThreeNews.
On 15 May 2024, Stuff expanded its portfolio through acquiring the Wairarapa Times-Age newspaper, its website, and associated publications from National Media Limited.
In June 2024, Stuff introduced a new community newspaper named The Waikato Local Te Pūtahi, which replaced several discontinued local titles within the Waikato Region and extended distribution to areas such as Te Aroha and Tīrau.
By December 2024, Stuff had restructured into two main divisions: Stuff Digital—responsible for stuff.co.nz, Neighbourly, audio, and video content—and Masthead Publishing—overseeing newspaper brands and their digital platforms, including prominent titles like The Post, The Press, and Waikato Times. In March 2025, Stuff issued a defamation threat against The Spinoff following critical coverage related to this organizational overhaul.
Developments in 2025
On 21 March, NZME announced that it had entered into negotiations with Stuff during late 2024 to purchase several newspapers based in Wellington and the South Island, aiming to boost revenue and audience engagement for its OneRoof business. Nevertheless, Stuff suspended these discussions after Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon launched a bid to overhaul NZME's leadership board at a shareholder meeting scheduled for 29 April 2025.
Trade Me’s CEO, Anders Skoe, confirmed on 25 March that the company was exploring content-sharing agreements and other cooperative ventures with Stuff. Subsequently, on 3 June, Trade Me acquired a 50% ownership interest in Stuff Digital, which comprises the Stuff website and the evening news program ThreeNews. Following this acquisition, Stuff’s property section was rebranded as Trade Me Property, facilitating shared listings, advertising, and editorial content across both platforms.
Leadership
Allen Williams held the position of CEO at Fairfax New Zealand Limited from April 2009 until April 2013 before transitioning to managing director of Australian Publishing Media. Andrew Boyle served as acting managing director until Simon Tong assumed the role in September 2013. Tong resigned in March 2017 just prior to the Commerce Commission’s final ruling on Fairfax New Zealand’s proposed merger with NZME. Boyle then resumed the acting managing director role until Sinead Boucher was appointed CEO in August 2017; Boucher had been with Fairfax since 1993, starting her career as a reporter for The Press.
On 25 May 2020, Boucher completed the acquisition of Stuff from its Australian parent company Nine Entertainment.
Effective 1 June 2023, Laura Maxwell was named CEO of Stuff Group while Boucher transitioned to Executive Chair and Publisher. The organization also appointed three managing directors: Nadia Tolich overseeing Stuff Digital (including stuff.co.nz, Neighbourly, and audio content), Joanna Norris managing Stuff Masthead Publishing (responsible for metropolitan and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, and printing operations), and Matt Headland leading Stuff Brand Connections (which includes the former Stuff Events division). In mid-June 2023, Stuff announced a reorganization of editorial and management roles that required several senior journalists to reapply for new positions, including a consolidated editor role covering both Sunday Star Times and The Post.
Masthead Publishing
Masthead Publishing encompasses the company’s primary newspaper titles and their digital platforms, most notably The Post, The Press, and Waikato Times.
Principal mastheads
Regional titles
- Manawatu Standard
- Marlborough Express
- The Nelson Mail
- The Southland Times
- Taranaki Daily News
- The Timaru Herald
- Wairarapa Times-Age
Community newspapers
- The Waikato Local Te Pūtahi
- Wairarapa Midweek
Magazines
- NZ House & Garden
- NZ Gardener
- TV Guide
Stuff Digital
Stuff Digital includes stuff.co.nz, Neighbourly, the evening news bulletin ThreeNews, along with its audio and video production units.
Neighbourly
In November 2017, Stuff Ltd took full ownership of the hyper-local social media platform Neighbourly, having initially acquired a 22.5% share in December 2014.
Stuff Circuit
Initiated in 2019 with funding from NZ On Air, Stuff Circuit is a documentary series focused on in-depth journalism that explores critical social and political topics. Key investigations have covered areas such as abortion law changes, New Zealand's military involvement in Afghanistan, conspiracy theories associated with political personalities, human rights issues involving corporations in Xinjiang, treatments for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, and the spread of vaccine misinformation linked to the 2022 Wellington protests.
Former assets
Former print assets
Over recent years, Stuff has either discontinued or sold a variety of publications, including numerous community newspapers.[1] [2] [3]
Among the notable former publications are:
In 2008, Fairfax Media New Zealand introduced D-Scene, a weekly community newspaper in Dunedin operating under The Southland Times. This title ran for five years before ceasing publication in May 2013 following a consultation process.[4][4]
On 25 June 2024, Stuff declared the closure of its last remaining Northland community newspapers: The Northern News, The Whangārei Leader, and Far North Real Estate. This followed the earlier shutdown of the Kerikeri-based Bay Chronicle in March 2024.[2][5] Shortly thereafter, it was confirmed that the Sunday News would also cease publication by late July 2024.[6]
In July 2025, Stuff announced intentions to discontinue up to fifteen community newspapers to prioritize its digital transformation strategy. The affected titles included: Rodney Times, Central Leader, Eastern Bays Courier, Manukau/Papakura Courier, North Shore Times, Western Leader, Cambridge Edition, Feilding Rangitīkei Herald, Franklin County News, The Hutt News, Kapi Mana News, Nelson and Tasman Leader, Northern Outlook, Taranaki Star, and Southern Outlook. These publications ended operations on 31 July 2025.[3][7]
Former digital assets
In May 2018, Stuff Ltd gained full ownership of internet service provider Stuff Fibre, which received multiple honors including the People's Choice Award and NZ Broadband Provider of the Year at the 2019 Broadband Compare Awards. Additionally, Stuff Ltd maintained a 49% ownership stake in New Zealand energy retailer energyclubnz. On 20 May 2020, Stuff divested Stuff Fibre to Vocus and sold its equity in energyclubnz back to its original founder.
In 2019, Stuff Ltd launched Play Stuff, a video platform offering free content sourced from BBC, Reuters, Press Association, NZ On Screen, and Bravo New Zealand. As of June 2025, this platform appears to be inactive.
Awards
Stuff Ltd has earned both national and international accolades recognizing its excellence in corporate leadership and management.
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Attitude Awards | Employer Award | Winner |
| 2019 | Deloitte Top 200 | Diversity and Inclusion Leadership | Finalist |
| 2019 | INMA (International News Media Association) Global Media Awards | Best new concept or innovation to create new profit centres | First place |
| Best idea to grow advertising sales or retain advertising clients | Second place | ||
| Best idea to encourage print readership or engagement | Third place |
See also
References
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