The New Zealand Herald
| Company type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Newspaper publishing |
| Founded | November 13, 1863 |
| Founder | William Chisholm Wilson |
| Headquarters | Auckland , New Zealand |
Area served | Auckland Region and much of the North Island of New Zealand |
| Owner | NZME |
| Website | nzherald |
The New Zealand Herald is a daily newspaper operating out of Auckland, New Zealand. It is owned by NZME and is acknowledged as a newspaper of record within New Zealand.
Boasting the highest newspaper circulation in the country, its peak distribution surpassed 200,000 copies in 2006; however, by September 2019, average daily circulation had decreased to 100,073.
The Herald produces several editions: a daily newspaper; the Weekend Herald, issued weekly on Saturdays; and the Herald on Sunday, which reaches an audience of 365,000 across the nation. The Herald on Sunday holds the distinction of being New Zealand's most widely circulated Sunday newspaper.
Its digital platform, nzherald.co.nz, records approximately 2.2 million visits each week and has earned the Voyager Media Awards' News Website of the Year title consecutively from 2020 through 2023. In 2023, the Weekend Herald secured the Weekly Newspaper of the Year award, while its mobile application was honored as News App of the Year.
Distribution primarily targets the Auckland Region, with reach extending throughout much of the North Island, including regions such as Northland, Waikato, King Country, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Plenty, Manawatū, and Wellington.
History
Founded by William Chisholm Wilson, The New Zealand Herald was first issued on 13 November 1863. Wilson, who had previously been a partner in the New Zealander, initiated the Herald to leverage Auckland’s expanding population and to support his pro-war viewpoint during conflicts with Māori—a stance that contrasted with his former associate John Williamson. Additionally, the publication advocated for enhanced connections between the North and South Islands.
After the New Zealander ceased operations in 1866, The Daily Southern Cross emerged as a significant rival. Initially established as The Southern Cross in 1843 by William Brown, it transitioned to a daily publication in 1862. Julius Vogel acquired majority ownership in 1868 but divested in 1873; subsequently, Alfred Horton took ownership in 1876.
In that same year, a partnership between the Wilson family and Horton resulted in The New Zealand Herald absorbing The Daily Southern Cross, thereby consolidating its market dominance.
The United Press Association was founded in 1879 to facilitate news sharing among major daily newspapers; this organization evolved into the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) in 1942. By 1892, The New Zealand Herald, along with Otago Daily Times and Press, jointly financed a London correspondent and advertising sales efforts. The NZPA discontinued operations in 2011.
Control of Wilson & Horton remained within founding families until 1996 when Tony O'Reilly's Independent News & Media Group purchased the Hortons' shares. Ownership later passed to APN NZ, a subsidiary of APN News & Media. In April 2007, APN NZ delegated much of the Herald's copy editing to Australian firm Pagemasters. Since 2014, ownership has been under New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), formed from APN News & Media’s New Zealand assets combined with Radio Network.
In November 2012, just two months after adopting a compact format, APN News and Media restructured staffing at the Herald, eliminating eight senior roles across its publications.
Notable contributors
- Dita de Boni contributed business and political columns between 2012 and 2015 before her column was discontinued due to financial constraints amid critical coverage of the Key administration.
- Gordon Minhinnick served as staff cartoonist from the 1930s through to the 1980s.
- Malcolm Evans was dismissed in 2003 following complaints about his cartoons addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
- Laurence Clark held the position of daily political cartoonist from 1987 until 1996 and continued contributing weekly until 2000.
- William Berry acted as editor in 1875.
- William Lane worked as leader writer beginning in 1900 and became editor in 1913.
Format
On 10 September 2012, after more than a century and a half as a broadsheet, the weekday editions of the Herald transitioned to a compact format while retaining broadsheet size for the Weekend Herald edition.
Political stance and editorial opinion
The Herald traditionally aligns with a centre-right editorial perspective and was colloquially referred to as "Granny Herald" up until the 1990s.
Brands
The Weekend Herald
Introduced in 1998 alongside expansion of its online presence, this title extended the brand’s reach within its market.
Herald on Sunday
The compact Sunday edition titled Herald on Sunday, launched on 3 October 2004 under editors Suzanne Chetwin and later Shayne Currie, earned Newspaper of the Year awards in both 2007 and 2009. It continues as New Zealand's leading Sunday newspaper by readership. In 2010, it spearheaded the "Two Drinks Max" campaign advocating for reduced legal blood alcohol limits for drivers, utilizing social media platforms and its website for reader engagement. Alanah Eriksen currently serves as editor.
Herald Online website
Established in 1998, this digital platform underwent redesigns in both 2006 and 2012. It received best news website accolades at the Qantas Media Awards in consecutive years—2007 and 2008—and was recognized at the Webby Awards in 2007. A paywall restricting access to premium content was implemented on 29 April 2019.
Editors
- Managing editor: Murray Kirkness
- Weekends editor: Stuart Dye
Regular columnists
- Deborah Coddington (Herald on Sunday)
- Matt McCarten (Herald on Sunday)
- Brian Rudman
- Colin James (former columnist)
Arms
The newspaper’s emblem features two crossed trumpets bound with a Māori Tāniko pattern forming an H shape. Additional elements include symbols such as the Southern Cross constellation, a lymphad ship, a sword, and a caduceus.
Issues and controversies
Mistaken identity incident
In July 2014, an error occurred when the Herald published an image of television personality Ryan Dunn, who passed away in 2011, on its front page accompanying an article about New Zealand soldier Guy Boyland's death in Gaza. The publication issued an apology directed at Boyland’s family, acquaintances, and readers. A study conducted in 2016 attributed this mistake to multiple newsroom oversights and noted its negative impact on the newspaper’s reputation along with subsequent commitments to improve newsroom protocols.
Ethics incident
In July 2015, the New Zealand Press Council determined that columnist Rachel Glucina from the Herald failed to adequately disclose her identity when requesting comment from Amanda Bailey concerning allegations about Prime Minister John Key. Subsequently, Bailey's name, photograph, and statements were published after she retracted consent. The council cited deceptive practices lacking sufficient public interest justification and concluded that journalistic standards were not met by the newspaper. The editor refuted claims of deception; Glucina resigned shortly thereafter.
COVID-19 disinformation
During 2020, sponsored content originating from People's Daily, an official Chinese Communist Party publication disseminating state-sponsored COVID-19 misinformation, appeared within the New Zealand Herald. Following public scrutiny, this content was removed from their website. The newspaper acknowledged maintaining an ad hoc commercial relationship with People's Daily, labeling such material as sponsored content subject to editorial review prior to publication.
2024 Hobson's Pledge advertisement
On August 7th, 2024, lobby group Hobson's Pledge placed a full-page advertisement within The New Zealand Herald advocating for reinstating public ownership over the foreshore and seabed. This prompted criticism from Te Pāti Māori, who declared they would suspend interactions with both The Herald and its parent company NZME until an official apology was issued alongside revisions to publishing policies.
References
External links
- Official website; alternative mobile site [1]
- Sold on APN (resource for advertisers)