What's New
13 March, 2019
New Takapuna-Milford paper hits the streets
The Rangitoto Observer – a sister publication to the Devonport Flagstaff – launches with this edition.
The community newspaper will cover news and events from Milford and Takapuna, through to Castor Bay and Sunnynook.
“There is clearly an appetite for local news, especially with declining community coverage in other media,” managing editor Rob Drent says.
The strength of the Flagstaff, which delivered to 9500 homes from Devonport to Takapuna, with an extra 1500 copies distributed to businesses and on stands, shows there’s still an appetite for print, he says.
The Rangitoto Observer will have a circulation of 10,000. The combined circulation of both papers will be close to 22,000 – with an estimated 70,000 readers.
Launched 25 years ago, the Flagstaff is well established and financially healthy.
Drent says he and business partner Peter Wilson were looking at how to grow the business, and after some informal surveying of clients, the new paper emerged strongly as the best option.
“There’s a clear desire for a local paper to serve local communities. And from the advertisers’ perspective, the increased reach of both papers offers them a great opportunity to connect with potential customers.”
The Rangitoto Observer is the same size and paper stock as the Flagstaff, but with different stories for a different readership.
“The Milford-Takapuna area is changing markedly, and essentially a new community is emerging with the number of apartments being built – so it is an exciting time news- wise,” Drent says.
“We’ve also been been lucky enough to recruit experienced journalist Jodi Yeats – a former North Shore Times editor – as part of the expansion.”
If you would like to pitch an idea for a story or tell us about an event, email news@ rangitoto-observer.co.nz.
The Rangitoto Observer team will be based in an office at Level 1, 6-8 Milford Rd. If you would like to enquire about advertising, email sales@rangitoto-observer.co.nz.
Express your views on community issues by writing a letter to the editor and sending it to news@rangitoto-observer.co.nz. Please include your name and suburb. Letters may be edited for length.
The Rangitoto Observer celebrated the publication of its first issue with a launch party at the Regatta Bar in Takapuna.
Around 100 clients, local identities, staff, and friends attended.
Below are pictures from the launch event:
This article originally appeared in the March 15 edition of the Rangitoto Observer. Download PDF.
