Editorial: Exciting changes on the way

There is about a month to go before Hawke's Bay Today moves from being a broadsheet newspaper to a smaller, easier-to-read compact version.

On February 25, the Monday-to-Friday editions of your favourite newspaper will become compact but Hawke's Bay Today Weekend, published on a Saturday, will remain in the larger format.

This is the biggest change the paper has made since it moved to morning delivery in March last year and it is one for which we have been preparing for many months.

We are changing the entire look of the paper, including the masthead, which we hope to be able to show you in the weeks leading up to the launch.

We have had several mastheads to choose from and narrowing it down to the two best has not been easy. We are confident that you will like the new look, as it is modern and eye-catching.

One thing that won't change, however, is our commitment to local news. We are proud to be Hawke's Bay's paper and we cover more local news from this region than any other newspaper.

This will get even better as we plan to have more news, analysis, opinion and sport from the region.

Each day will have a special section that you will be able to lift out of the newspaper - ideal for sharing the paper with your partner.

We will reveal more nearer the time, but rest assured our current specialist sections of Business, Arts and Heartland will still be there, but in a new, fresher format.

We are also making changes to Entertainment Extra, our Thursday entertainment and TV guide. This will include a name change. All this is designed to give you, the reader, a fresh and exciting product without losing those core reasons why you are a reader in the first place.

We are retaining all our columnists but we also have some new ones. We will announce who they are at a later stage but their writing is bound to stir up debate.

We also plan to have more contributions from you, the reader. Our very popular Text the Editor section will continue and there will be more opportunities for readers to contribute via our website (www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz). We will have a special page for this in each day's paper, with references to and from our website.

It is all very exciting but we couldn't do it without you.

In the past few months we have asked our readers what they want to see in the new paper and we have received lots of feedback. We have a clear idea of what you want from your paper and we will strive to provide that for you.

Thank you for your support.