In the most extraordinary of news years, New Zealanders have turned to sources they trust – the New Zealand Herald’s
overall print-digital readership is at record levels and newspaper readership is its highest in almost a decade.
The latest readership insights released by Nielsen into New Zealanders’ news habits reveal nearly 2 million people
access New Zealand Herald (print and digital) journalism each week.
The number of New Zealanders choosing to read the daily New Zealand Herald newspaper has increased by 26% over the past
12 months to 585,000 - the highest since 2011. More than 1 million Kiwis read the New Zealand Herald newspapers across
the week.
“These readership numbers are staggering. It’s very rewarding - and evidence of the faith that Kiwis have in us to
provide quality, trusted journalism and information when it’s needed the most,” NZME Managing Editor Shayne Currie said.
“On behalf of our 300 journalists, and everyone in our news teams at New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), I can
only thank Kiwis for engaging with our journalism.”
Other highlights from the NZ Readership data released today includes:Readership of the NZ Herald has increased across every day of the week compared with the last period and the same time a
year agoThe Weekend Herald readership has grown to 678,000 readersThe Herald on Sunday readership has grown to 370,000 readersNew Zealand Herald growth in the Waikato continues with 17,000 more readers than the Waikato TimesNZME regional papers the Bay of Plenty Times, the Rotorua Daily Post, Hawke’s Bay Today, and Whanganui Chronicle have
all grown readership year on year
“One extremely pleasing readership statistic is the number of young readers who choose to access our journalism,” New
Zealand Herald editor Murray Kirkness said.
“The New Zealand Herald is read by 218,000 Kiwis aged between 18 and 29 each week. And the number of 18- to 29-year-olds
who pick up the Herald each day has increased more than 50% in the past year. It’s proof that in the battle against fake
news that proliferates on social platforms, younger Kiwis know they can come to us for news they can trust,” Kirkness
said.
nzherald.co.nz’s Premium digital subscription service is on the verge of reaching another milestone – with nearly 50,000 digital paid
subscribers. The total number of subscribers including those who access Premium as part of their New Zealand Herald
print subscription is now more than 93,000.
“We are continually setting the bar higher for our Premium subscribers. In the last few months, we’ve included new
features for subscribers via our new NZ Herald App, and we’ve added the opportunity for commenting online on selected
stories,” NZ Herald Head of Premium Miriyana Alexander said.
“We know it’s the quality journalism that ultimately attracts Premium subscribers and during the health and economic
crisis of the coronavirus pandemic our reporters, experts, commentators and analysts have continued to deliver the most
in-depth, exclusive coverage and insights,” Alexander said.
CEO Michael Boggs paid tribute to NZME’s news teams. “I’ve had the privilege on a number of occasions this year to be in
the NZME newsroom during some of the most extraordinary events during 2020. I’ve witnessed first-hand our teams in
action. I’m always impressed with their dedication, their professionalism and their unrelenting focus on doing the
absolute best for our audiences across print, radio, digital, video and social.
“The greatest accolade for our news teams is in the huge number of Kiwis who put their trust in what we do. We strive
every day to earn that trust, just as we strive every day to be New Zealand’s Herald,” Boggs said.