E whakaū ana a NZME i te katinga o ngā niupepa hapori e 14 i mua i te Kirihimete
Thursday, 5 December 2024
Kua whakamāoritia tēnei pūrongo e tētahi hinengaro rorohiko, ā, kua hihiratia e te kaiwhakamāori a Puna, a Joel Maxwell, nāna te pūrongo i whakapai hoki i mua i te whakaputa hei pūrongo reorua. Nā Straker me Microsoft te hinengaro rorohiko i whakawhanake.
This story, originally in English only, was translated into reo Māori by an AI tool then checked and edited by Stuff kaiwhakamāori Joel Maxwell before publication as a bilingual news story. The AI tool was developed by Straker and Microsoft.
Kua whakaūria e te kamupene pāpāho a NZME e 14 ngā niupepa hapori ka kati i mua i te Kirihimete.
Media company NZME has confirmed 14 community newspapers will close before Christmas.
I roto i nga katinga ko te Te Awamutu Courier, e 114 tau te roa o tōna hītori. Ka wehea atu i roto i te toru wiki, i te taha o ētahi atu taitara o Te Ika a Māui.
The closures included the Te Awamutu Courier, whose history stretches back 114 years. It would be gone within three weeks, alongside 13 other North Island titles.
Read this story in English here.
Mā te katinga, i pānuitia i te Tāite, e ngaro atu ngā tūranga mahi e 29 i ngā taiwhanga rongo kōrero, hokohoko me te whakarite mahi.
The closure, announced on Thursday, would mean a loss of 29 jobs across newsrooms, sales and operations.
I kī te tumuaki o NZME, a Michael Boggs, nā runga i te hekenga o te moni whakatairanga me te nui o ngā utu tuari, kua kore ngā pepa e whai hua ā-pūtea.
NZME CEO Michael Boggs said a decline in advertising revenue and significant increases in distribution costs meant the papers were no longer financially viable.
“He wāhanga tino nui ēnei niupepa o ō rātou hapori paetata mō te maha o ngā tau, ā, e mōhio ana mātou he rongo pouri tēnei ehara i te mea mō tā mātou tīma anake engari mō ā mātou kaipānui me ā mātou kiritaki whakatairanga i aua hapori,” te kī a Boggs.
“These newspapers have been a huge part of their local communities for many, many years and we know this will be sad news not only for our team but for our readers and our advertising clients in those communities,” Boggs said.
Hei tāna i whakaritea te whakataunga uaua i muri i te whiriwhiri i te tīma o NZME, me te whai whakaaro ki te urupare o waho mai i ngā MP, i ngā kahika, i ngā umanga paetata me ngā kaipānui.
He said the difficult decision was made following consultation with the NZME team, taking on external feedback from MPs, mayors, local businesses and readers.
Hei tā Boggs kua whakapākia atu ki te kamupene e ētahi tāngata e whakapuaki ana i te hiahia ki te hoko i ia tānga, ā, ka takawaenga ki aua tāngata i nga rā e heke mai nei.
Boggs said the company had been contacted by several people expressing interest in purchasing individual publications and would liaise with those people in the coming days.
“Mō ngā tāngata katoa i NZME e hiahia ana ahau ki te kōrero mihi ngākau ki tō mātou tīma tino ātaahua kua mahi ki tā mātou whatunga hapori, me te mihi ki a rātou mo tō rātou whāinga, ngā mahi me te ngākau tūturu ki te mahi i ō rātou hapori paetata.
“On behalf of everyone at NZME I want to say a heartfelt thanks to our exceptional team who has served our community network and thank them for their commitment, efforts and dedication to serving their local communities.
“Ngā mihi nunui hoki ki ā mātou kiritaki pono me ngā kaipānui mo tā rātou tautoko.”
“Thank you also to our loyal customers and readers for their support.”
Ko ngā niupepa hapori katoa he taitara o Te Ika a Māui, ā, e tūmanakohia ana kia katia i mua i te Kirihimete i tēnei tau. Mā tēnei e waiho ētahi rohe me te kore pūtake rongokōrero paetata.
All of the community papers were North Island titles, and they were expected to be closed before Christmas this year. This would leave some regions without a source of local news.
Ko ngā niupepa mō te katinga ko Te Awamutu Courier he rautau tōna noho i te hapori, tae atu ki te Hauraki-Coromandel Post, Katikati Advertiser, Te Puke Times, Taupō & Tūrangi Herald, Napier Courier, Hastings Leader, tā Te Matau a Māui CHB Mail, Stratford Press, tā Tararua Bush Telegraph, Whanganui Midweek, Manawatū Guardian, Horowhenua Chronicle me te Kāpiti News.
The papers to be closed include the century-old Te Awamutu Courier, as well as the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, Katikati Advertiser, Te Puke Times, Taupō & Tūrangi Herald, Napier Courier, Hastings Leader, Hawke’s Bay’s CHB Mail, Stratford Press, Tararua’s Bush Telegraph, Whanganui Midweek, Manawatū Guardian, Horowhenua Chronicle and Kāpiti News.
E rua anake o ngā taitara he kore utu o te kamupene ka noho tonu - The Waikato Herald, e kōkuhutia ana i roto i te Herald o Aotearoa, me te Rā Mutunga Wiki i Bay of Plenty. Kāore anō kia pāngia te tānga ā-taiwhenua ko te Coast & Country News.
Only two of the company’s free titles will remain - The Waikato Herald, which is inserted within the NZ Herald, and the Weekend Sun in Bay of Plenty. Rural publication Coast & Country News was also unaffected.
Ko te kati a NZME i ngā nuipepa te moto hou ki te umanga arapāho, me te whakawetotanga o Newshub i te tōmua o tēnei tau me tā TVNZ e mahi ana i ngā wā maha o ngā tapahi.
The closure of the NZME papers is the latest blow to the media industry, with Newshub shutting down earlier this year and TVNZ carrying out multiple rounds of cuts.
This is a Public Interest Journalism-funded translation through NZ On Air