{"id":561744,"date":"2026-08-07T11:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T11:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/561744\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T11:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T11:42:15","slug":"media-insider-nz-herald-publisher-nzme-acquires-stuff-print-plant-equipment-in-15m-investment-that-will-see-relocation-from-ellerslie-after-more-than-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/561744\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Insider: NZ Herald publisher NZME acquires Stuff print-plant equipment in $15m investment that will see relocation from Ellerslie after more than 50 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

The company said the move \u201cfurther extends and enhances the profitability of NZME\u2019s ongoing print operations\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the agreement, NZME will take ownership of Stuff\u2019s Petone plant equipment and begin removing it from the site later this year,\u201d NZME said in its NZX announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe total investment, including relocation, installation and commissioning, is expected to be up to $15 million over the next two years, with cashflow payback within the following three years. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Petone equipment is about a third of the size of NZME\u2019s current plant and runs more efficiently, meaning the acquisition is expected to deliver annual operating savings of around $7 million, subject to print volumes, once installed. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, this provides the capability for NZME to provide further third-party print options throughout the North Island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NZMENZME chief executive Michael Boggs. Photo \/ Michael Craig<\/p>\n

NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said the acquisition would help \u201cright size\u201d NZME\u2019s production capacity, ensuring its future sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrint remains an important part of how many New Zealanders consume news and connect with their communities. We\u2019re investing in the capability to continue delivering that for years to come, alongside our growing digital platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

NZME\u2019s current lease at Ellerslie expires at the end of 2028. A paperstore was built on the site in 1969 and papers have been printed there since the early 1970s. In 1995, a brand new press hall with new Goss presses was opened.<\/p>\n

As Media Insider revealed last year, businessman Troy Bowker acquired Stuff\u2019s Petone print-plant building from Australian media business Nine.<\/p>\n

In March this year, Stuff announced it would close the Wellington print plant<\/a> which publishes the Capital\u2019s daily newspaper, The Post, and several other North Island newspapers.<\/p>\n

\"Stuff'sStuff’s Petone print site and (inset) Stuff chief executive Sinead Boucher and businessman Troy Bowker.<\/p>\n

At the time, Stuff said 30 jobs would be affected, but it hoped to re-employ some staff in the South Island, where the firm\u2019s printing operation would be consolidated by 2027.<\/p>\n

Chief executive Sinead Boucher told Media Insider at the time that all of the company\u2019s lower North Island papers, including The Post, would be published at its existing Christchurch print facility and transported north each day.<\/p>\n

It is understood that today\u2019s announcement by NZME does not change that plan. <\/p>\n

While NZME currently publishes Stuff\u2019s Waikato Times and the northern North Island editions of the Sunday Star-Times, there are no plans to print The Post or any other lower North Island newspapers at the new NZME site in Auckland.<\/p>\n

It is expected NZME will start dismantling and transporting Stuff\u2019s Petone equipment to Auckland by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

\"NZMENZME chief publishing officer Matthew Wilson.<\/p>\n

NZME chief publishing officer Matt Wilson said: \u201cThe Petone plant equipment is more modern, well-maintained and right-sized for our current and future requirements. <\/p>\n

\u201cAcquiring it gives us the opportunity to improve productivity, reduce wastage further, and establish a printing platform that matches our business.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pleased to have been able to move quickly to secure this asset.<\/p>\n

\u201cNZME has a strong record of reliability and award-winning print quality, which is a reflection of the capability of our team. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to carrying that same standard of excellence into our new facility with a seamless transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

NZME said it would provide further detail at its half-year results later this month.<\/p>\n

\"NZMENZME and the NZ Herald will be leaving its Ellerslie print-plant facility by the end of 2028. Picture \/ Sarah Ivey<\/p>\n

In a statement today, Boucher said the sale of the print assets was the right move for Stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe considered a number of options for the Petone press once we had announced our long-planned move to Christchurch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke with interested parties internationally and locally, and we are pleased to see it retained as an operational plant in New Zealand, supporting a press upgrade for NZME\u2019s newspapers and maintaining locally-owned print operations in the North and South Islands for publishers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Petone print plant would be decommissioned late in 2026, and a group of Petone printers would relocate to the Christchurch site.<\/p>\n

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand\u2019s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The company said the move \u201cfurther extends and enhances the profitability of NZME\u2019s ongoing print operations\u201d. \u201cUnder the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561745,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[36265,13212,148726,74,138,8500,15972,71,10938,78,2936,1426,1073,130,111,139,69,26263,166405,26268,13688,10534,19346,131,1361,1533,1530],"class_list":["post-561744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-15m","tag-13212","tag-acquires","tag-after","tag-business","tag-ellerslie","tag-equipment","tag-from","tag-herald","tag-in","tag-insider","tag-investment","tag-media","tag-more","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-nzme","tag-printplant","tag-publisher","tag-relocation","tag-see","tag-stuff","tag-than","tag-that","tag-will","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}