Every newspaper has a role to play.
The role of the Wairarapa Times-Age daily newspaper is to provide a mix of hyperlocal, national, and world news, with a focus on what is happening in our region.
We’ve battled our way through a global pandemic, reported on issues of great importance in local democracy, crime, health, education, the rural sector, and sports – and we’ve gained subscribers along the way.
We pride ourselves on being independent, as shown above our masthead: “Locally owned. Independent”.
Independent media refers to any media that is free of influence by government or corporate interests.
Research has found that independent media plays a vital role in improving government accountability and reducing corruption. And that is the purpose of our reporting. The Wairarapa Times-Age is not a PR company. We are here to shine a light on issues brewing in the community, we’re here to celebrate local successes, and we’re here to keep people honest and hold them to account.
The Times-Age is published Monday to Saturday, and our reporters and operations team work Sunday to Friday to make that happen. The editorial team is led by news director Roger Parker.
Our Newspapers
Wairarapa Times-Age
In 1938 the Daily Times and the Age joined to form the Wairarapa Times-Age.
A modern Art Deco building was erected on the corner of Perry and Chapel streets to house the Times-Age team and the new flatbed Cossar press.
The newly-formed and unified newspaper was printed on the new Cossar press with the first copy of the Wairarapa Times-Age printed on April Fools’ Day, 1938.
Almost immediately it was reporting on the military confrontation when Britain and Germany went to war in 1939.
Over the years the paper has reported on international events such as Edmund Hillary and Tensing’s conquering of Mount Everest for the first time, and the almost simultaneous coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. Shortly afterwards, the Cossar was replaced by a faster Crabtree press.
It continued to report on international and national news, but its focus was on the local. It recorded the devastating effects of the “Wahine” storm in 1968, and the economic impacts of the closure of the Waingawa freezing works in 1989.
It also recorded the remarkable rise of Georgina Beyer, from councillor to mayor to Member of Parliament.
By 1961 the building had to be expanded and in 1975 two web-offset presses were installed. By the time of its 50th anniversary in 1988 it was employing 160 people.
Many years of local ownership ended in 2002, when Wilson and Horton (later APN) bought the newspaper and in 2004 printing shifted to Wanganui.
The company formed a lower North Island publishing group in 2010 which included the Wairarapa Times-Age, and APN became NZME in 2014.
A big change came in 2011 when the newspaper switched from evening distribution to morning and also morphed into a tabloid.
In 2016 the Times-Age was employing 16 people when then general manager Andrew Denholm purchased the Wairarapa Times-Age business.
He immediately began returning the business to a local focus.
With this renewed focus on doing things locally, staff numbers in the Times-Age office grew to 36.
Denholm clawed back services which NZME had contracted to places like Tauranga, Auckland and Hastings. Webstar Masterton got the contract to print the Times-Age and Midweek in 2018. Great for that company as well. He sees the staff as family, as well as the ancillary services, and thrives on seeing the way everyone comes in each day to produce the newspapers and associated supplements.
“I absolutely love Wairarapa as the place I grew up in and find it a real privilege to now be leading the region’s long-standing newspaper. A real dream come true.”
Wairarapa Midweek
Midweek started in 1987. These days it’s delivered to over 22,000 households and businesses through Wairarapa and eagerly supported by local advertisers.
Midweek’s mandate is to bind all communities, sharing their news, events, and services. Showcasing the Wairarapa in a wider sense, was the focus from the beginning, and still is today.
Midweek, has evolved over the years, clearly reflecting the changes in Wairarapa.
With Midweek’s paginations reaching 64 pages, it’s crucial the publication is vibrant and functional.
Midweek’s clean look with bold colours and defined sections is a hit with both readers and advertisers.
Erin Kavanagh Hall is the Midweek editor.
