| Type | Daily/Morning (except Sunday)Newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Compact |
| Owner | NZME |
| Editor | Scott Inglis |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Headquarters | Rotorua,New Zealand |
| Circulation | 10,550[1] |
| ISSN | 1170-0254 |
| Website | www |
TheRotorua Daily Post is the regional newspaper for centralNorth Island ofNew Zealand including the greaterRotorua area as well asTaupō and the surrounding areas.[2][3][4]
The paper was founded in 1885 as theHot Lakes Chronicle, and received a major scoop when it covered the eruption ofMount Tarawera in June 1886. It was founded by a Mr Watt, and upon his death his wife took over. She in turn sold it to Mr David Gardner, who emigrated from Queensland, in 1905. Gardner's sons, Robin and Russell, took over upon his death in 1918. Originally published weekly, theHot Lakes Chronicle was published twice a week by Gardner in an effort to stave off competition from a rival paper.[5][3]
Originally abroadsheet, the paper was reissued in a new compact format in 2013[6]
TheRotorua Daily Post also publishes:
Rotorua Weekender is a weekly paper delivered free each Friday to all homes in the greater Rotorua area.[7]
TheWhakatane News is delivered free every Thursday to all homes in the greater Eastern Bay ofPlenty region.[8]
TheTaupo & Turangi Weekender is a free weekly paper delivered to each home in the greater Taupo and Turangi area.[9]
Thermal Air is a weekly tourist guide to the region's attractions. It is delivered to information sites across New Zealand as well as all accommodation in Rotorua and its surrounds.[10]
Hamilton News was delivered weekly on a Friday toHamilton and the surrounding area,[11] until May 2020, when it becameWaikato News.[12]
TheTe Awamutu Courier was a biweekly community newspaper published on Tuesdays and Thursdays.[13] It closed at the end of 2024.[14]
Te Awamutu's first newspaper wasTe Pihoihoi Mokemoke, in te reo Māori, edited byJohn Eldon Gorst, and published to counter the influence of the Māori King’s newspaper,Te Hokioi. Only 5 issues had been published in February and March 1863,[15] before aNgāti Maniapoto group seized the printing press.[16]
TheWaipa Post was started on 18 April 1911 by Arthur George Warburton (1888-1956), a formerNew Zealand Herald worker.[15] From 17 April 1936 it was renamedTeAwamutu Courier due to increased use of the name Te Awamutu for the area, rather than Waipa.[17] When Arthur Warburton died, his son, George, became manager, followed by his son, John, in 1986, who remained as manager until 2008, though the paper was sold to Wilson and Horton (nowNZME) in 1992.[17] Until 1998 theCourier employed 35 people to print newspapers, books, magazines, invitations, flyers, etc.[18] In 2014 theCourier moved from Alexandra Street to Sloane Street.[17] In 2018 a new free weekly newspaper started on Tuesdays, reviving theWaipa Post name,[15] but, after a brief ban on non-daily newspapers during the Covid-19 lockdown, thePost again ended.[17] In December 2024 NZME confirmed the loss of 29 jobs and 14 North Island local papers by Christmas, including theTe Awamutu Courier, due to less advertising and higher distribution costs. The other papers to be closed were theHauraki-Coromandel Post, Katikati Advertiser, Te Puke Times, Napier Courier, Hastings Leader, Hawke’s Bay’s CHB Mail, Stratford Press, Tararua’s Bush Telegraph, Whanganui Midweek, Manawatū Guardian, Horowhenua Chronicle andKāpiti News,[19] but some, such asTaupō & Tūrangi Herald, which was bought out by its editor, survived.[14][20]
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