NZME buys Gisborne Herald newspaper and website

The Gisborne Herald publishes a newspaper Tuesday to Saturday.

NZME has purchased the Gisborne Herald — a newspaper that has served as a “cornerstone” of Tairāwhiti for 150 years.

The deal adds another newsroom to NZME’s growing stable, and comes after its purchase of SunMedia in Bay of Plenty last week.

NZME — which owns the New Zealand Herald, Newstalk ZB, and a host of other newspapers and radio stations — has held a 49 per cent stake in the Gisborne Herald since 1987.

An NZME spokeswoman would not divulge the purchase price for the remaining 51 per cent, bought from the Muir family who have owned and edited the paper since the 1880s.

The Gisborne Herald employs 54 people, publishes a newspaper Tuesday to Saturday, and has a paywalled digital news site.

NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said the Gisborne Herald had a proud history and played “an important role in the Gisborne community as the cornerstone of news reporting”.

“The Gisborne Herald has served the region for 150 years and is highly regarded, having seen the local community through some incredibly challenging times, including the disastrous weather events impacting the region last year,” he said.

“We are committed to continuing its legacy, keeping locals in the know on the news that matters most to them.

“NZME has a number of established, high-performing digital news platforms as well as vast experience in operating successful print publications that keep our communities and regions across New Zealand informed. We are confident our purchase of the Gisborne Herald’s publishing and digital platforms will ensure it is sustainable and continues to serve its community into the future.”

NZME chief executive Michael Boggs says it is committed to continuing the Gisborne Herald's legacy. Photo / Michael Craig

Gisborne Herald managing director Michael Muir said the company was “confident the sale of the publishing assets to NZME presents the very best opportunity for the Gisborne Herald to remain viable into the future, with NZME having such a strong stable of national, community and regional mastheads across the country as well as a strong digital offering”.

“We would like to thank our customers, our readers, and most of all our talented team of people at the Gisborne Herald for their loyalty and commitment”

NZME said it would be working through a transition period with the Gisborne Herald team, and includes making formal employment offers to many of the team. The sales team will report to NZME’s general sales manager in Hawke’s Bay, Catrina O’Connell, while the editorial team will report to North Island regional editor Scott Inglis to support collaboration with other newsrooms.

NZME shares last traded at 90¢.