The Post (New Zealand Newspaper)

''The Post'' (formerly and still commonly referred to as ''The Dominion Post'') is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand. It is owned by media business Stuff Ltd, formerly the New Zealand branch of Australian media company Fairfax Media. Weekday issues are now in tabloid format, and its Saturday edition is in broadsheet format.

''The Dominion Post'' was created in July 2002 with the merger of two metropolitan broadsheet newspapers, '' The Evening Post'' and '' The Dominion''. It was announced in April 2023 that the paper would be renamed ''The Post''. The change of name has garnered a generally unenthusiastic to negative response.

Since July 2023, the editor has been Tracy Watkins.

History

''The Dominion Post'', 2002–2023

''The Dominion Post'' was created in July 2002 when Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) amalgamated two Wellington printed and published metropolitan broadsheet newspapers, '' The Evening Post'', an evening paper first published on 8 February 1865, and '' The Dominion'', a morning paper first published on Dominion Day, 26 September 1907.

''The Dominion'' was distributed throughout the lower half of the North Island, as far as Taupo, where it met with Auckland's ambitiously named ''The New Zealand Herald''. ''The Evening Post'' was not so widely distributed, but had a much greater circulation than ''The Dominion''.

INL sold ''The Dominion Post'' and all other New Zealand newspapers and most magazines in its catalogue to Fairfax Media in 2003.

''The Dominion Post'' is the only pay-and-read local newspaper in Wellington City. It is printed in Petone, Lower Hutt.

''The Post'', 2023–present

On 14 April 2023, it was announced that the paper would change its name by dropping "Dominion" from the title. The editor, Caitlin Cherry, laid out the rationale:

As an independently owned New Zealand company, we are under no-one’s dominion. New Zealand’s status as a dominion ended in 1945 when we joined the United Nations. It’s time for the word to go.

On 27 April 2023, Stuff confirmed that ''The Dominion Post'' would adopt its new name ''The Post'' on 29 April. Stuff also announced that it would launch a new subscription-based website for ''The Post'' that would co-exist with the free Stuff news website.

The change of name was criticised on both the political left and right. Former ''Dominion Post'' editor Tim Pankhurst was skeptical, saying it was "short-sighted", given that market research conducted in 2002 indicated that the Dominion Post masthead had better name recognition within Wellington than Coca-Cola's logo. Colin Peacock from RNZ Mediawatch dismissed the name change as "bit of branding" and expected "a bit of blowback" from older readers.

The dropping of "Dominion", a word described by legal expert Grant Morris as "not actually that important", was perceived by some as virtue signaling. Morris also pointed out that since no Act of Parliament has actually revoked New Zealand's status as a Dominion, which it held from 1907 until the Statute of Westminster was adopted in 1947.

The name change was also thought by some to be hypocritical for suggesting an anti-imperialist stance, given the newspaper's historical bias against Māori, for which Stuff apologised in 2020. The name ''The Post'' was considered bland and unoriginal by many, with Newstalk ZB describing it as "an act reflective of a complete lack of any creativity".

Editors

Richard Long had been the editor of ''The Dominion'' for ten years and was appointed the inaugural editor for ''The Dominion Post'', but resigned shortly after the newspaper merger. Tim Pankhurst joined ''The Dominion Post'' shortly after it was founded to take over from Long. He resigned in February 2009 to head the New Zealand Press Association. Bernadette Courtney, who had previously been assistant editor at ''The Dominion Post'' and had gone to become editor of the '' Manawatu Standard'', was appointed to replace Pankhurst. Courtney started in a national role for Stuff in 2018 and was replaced by Eric Janssen.

Anna Fifield was appointed editor October 2020 after Janssen's departure. She left in December 2022. The new editor Caitlin Cherry took over in February 2023.

The following table lists the editors of ''The Dominion Post'':

Awards and nominations received

Awards and nominations for journalists employed by ''The Post''

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Post, The
Newspapers published in New Zealand
Mass media in Wellington
2002 establishments in New Zealand
Newspapers established in 2002
Stuff (company)