Stuff Faces Pressure to Halt Regional Newsroom Cuts

Stuff Group faces growing resistance to its proposal to streamline regional newsrooms, with local mayors and union leaders calling for a pause on planned cuts. The publisher announced in September that it intends to reduce specialist reporting and production roles in Manawatū, Wairarapa, Nelson, Timaru, and Southland. The move follows a 2022 restructure that created regional reporting hubs, a model where on-duty journalists cover neighboring areas when local staff are unavailable.

Under the current proposal, up to 18 newsroom roles are at risk. The union E tū states that the cuts would leave many districts with only two reporters and a single photographer to cover entire regions. Mat Danaher, assistant national secretary for E tū, noted that all but one regional print producer are proposed for elimination. Danaher described this position as the final check for errors before print, warning that the team is already understaffed.

Local officials have voiced concern over the impact on community connection. Nelson Mayor Nick Smith acknowledged the financial pressures on the company but urged management to find a way to maintain critical mass. Grant Smith, Mayor of Palmerston North, specifically urged Stuff to retain journalists at the Manawatū Standard. He argued that local presence cannot be easily replaced by remote coverage or sourced imagery, adding that local visuals help residents feel connected to their communities.

Warwick Smith, a visual journalist at the Manawatū Standard, shared his experience with the union, stating that working alone for six months nearly broke him. He explained that items were missed because he could not be in two places at once. Amanda Linsley, chief executive of the Manawatū Business Chamber, agreed that reducing the visual team to one person would inevitably lead to less local coverage.

National MP James Meagher expressed disappointment in a Facebook post, noting that regional reporters cover important issues larger publishers might overlook. He emphasized his belief in paying for good content to support local journalism. A Stuff spokesperson told Mediawatch that the company is still working through the process with its people. The company employed about 300 journalists and publishes 13 daily and weekly newspapers.

E tū members at TVNZ are scheduled to walk off the job from 1pm to 2pm tomorrow, adding to the pressure on media employers. TVNZ has offered a 2.5% pay rise, but the union argues that pay has fallen in real terms. Stuff recently launched 18 free-to-view local Neighbourly News websites, a move the union claims contradicts its effort to attract subscribers to paywalled sites.

The union has addressed Stuff Group chief executive Sinead Boucher, who purchased the company from Nine in 2020 for $1. E tū stated that journalists have offered to work with management on a new plan for regional news. The union’s open letter urged Boucher to drop the current cuts and keep local reporters in local towns.