The ''Bay of Plenty Times'' is the regional daily paper for the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaw ...

area, including

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

History

The ''Bay of Plenty Times'' was first produced on 4 September 1872 as a bi-weekly publication. It consisted of four tabloid-sized pages and cost three pence per issue. The founder and editor was WB Langbridge. Ownership of the newspaper changed many times over the next 40 years, including several times through mortgagee sales. Despite these hardships the ''Times'' issued a Christmas supplement in 1897 which featured one of the earliest use of photographs in New Zealand newspapers. From 1913 the paper's viability stabilised under the Gifford and Cross families. Both families were associated with the paper until it was sold to Wilson and Horton in 1992. Ownership changed again in 1996 when Independent Newspapers PC from Dublin acquired a controlling interest in Wilson and Horton. In 1976 a fire destroyed the newspaper's entire collection of back issues. The publisher had kept copies on microfilm, which are held by the

Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand ( mi, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) is New Zealand's legal deposit library charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (''Nat ...

. The ''Times'' became more successful from the early 1950s, with its progress linked with the Bay of Plenty's rapid growth since

Mt Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...

became an export port. However, from the early 2000s it began to face challenges of declining circulation and advertising. On 5 February 2011, the Saturday edition was re-branded as the ''Bay Of Plenty Times Weekend''. On 4 March 2013, the weekday ''Bay Of Plenty Times'' changed from broadsheet to tabloid format and from afternoon to morning delivery. The ''Bay of Plenty Times'' has the ninth-largest circulation of New Zealand's 19 daily newspapers, at just under 11,000.

Other publications

The ''Bay of Plenty Times'' also publishes the following newspapers:

''Coastal News''

The ''Coastal News'' is delivered free every Thursday to Whangamata, Whiritoa, Onemana, Pauanui, Tairua and up the eastern seaboard to Whitianga.

''Waihi Leader''

The ''Waihi Leader'' is distributed free every Thursday to homes in

Waihi Waihi is a town in Hauraki District in the North Island of New Zealand, especially notable for its history as a gold mine town. The town is at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, close to the western end of the Bay of Plenty. The nearby re ...

, Waihi Beach, Athenree,

Katikati Katikati is a town in New Zealand (North Island) located on the Uretara Stream near a tidal inlet towards the northern end of Tauranga Harbour, 28 kilometres south of Waihi and 40 kilometres northwest of Tauranga. State Highway 2 passes through ...

, Waikino, MacKay Town, Karangahake,

Paeroa Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 ...

and the surrounding areas.

''Katikati Advertiser''

The ''Katikati Advertiser'' is distributed free every Thursday to all

urban and rural areas and

Ōmokoroa Ōmokoroa is a small urban area in the Western Bay of Plenty District of New Zealand. The suburb is considered part of Greater Tauranga (contributing towards its population of ), and is within the Coromandel electorate. Ōmokoroa began as a sm ...

''Bay News''

The ''Bay News'' was distributed every Thursday to homes in

Papamoa , image = View_to_Mayor.jpg , caption1 = Looking towards Mayor Island down Domain Rd from the Papamoa Hills , city1 = Tauranga , ward = , council = Tauranga City Council , established = , coor ...

Te Puke Te Puke is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well-known for the cultivation of Kiwifruit. Te Puke is close to Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, and Maketu, ...

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...

Welcome Bay Welcome Bay is a suburb of Tauranga, New Zealand. It is located from central Tauranga. Neighbouring suburbs include Hairini and Maungatapu. There are a number of schools in Welcome Bay, including three primary schools. The name Welcome Bay has ...

, Bethlehem, Pyes Pa, Te Puna, Katikati, Ōmokoroa, Waihi Beach,

and Whangamata. Publication ceased in 2018.

''Te Puke Times''

The ''Te Puke Times'' is distributed free every Thursday to

Paengaroa Paengaroa is a village in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand which lies 11 km from Te Puke, 35 km from Tauranga and 46.2 km from Rotorua. Paengaroa is located on State Highway 33 approximately 2 km from the junction with Stat ...

Maketu Maketu is a small town on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. Maketu is located in the Western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Maketu has an estuary from which the Kaituna River used to flow. It is also adjacent to Newdicks Beach located on t ...

, Pukehina,

Pongakawa Pongakawa is a rural community in the Bay of Plenty of New Zealand's North Island. runs through it. The local Tokerau Marae and Pikiao meeting house are a traditional meeting ground of the Ngāti Pikiao tribe. The name of the settlement com ...

, and

urban and rural deliveries.

References

External links

''Bay of Plenty Times'' Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bay Of Plenty Times Newspapers published in New Zealand Bay of Plenty Region Mass media in Tauranga Publications established in 1872 New Zealand Media and Entertainment 1872 establishments in New Zealand