Pahiatua Herald

The Pahiatua Herald published its first issue on 24 May 1893. There was already a newspaper operating in the small settlement - the Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser. The Herald offices opened across the street from the Star office.

The two newspapers had closer ties than geography. Seven years earlier the Herald’s manager, Alexander Black, had co-founded the Star with Edward Haggen. Black became the sole proprietor of the Star only two months after the first issue. After a few months of rivalry, the Pahiatua Herald bought out the Star. The Star ceased publication on 6 September 1893 and until 1895, when the short-lived Pahiatua Argus was established, Pahiatua had only the one newspaper (another rival paper, the Pahiatua Era, emerged in 1905 but only lasted two years).

In 1896 the Herald was bought by Alexander Baillie, who had edited the paper since its establishment. William Hawkins then became the editor and manager of the Herald until he was elected to Parliament in 1904. One of the changes made during Hawkins’ tenure was the change to daily publication in 1902.

The paper was in the news itself at this time for employing female compositors — something that was permitted in other regions of New Zealand but not in Wellington (which included Pahiatua at this time). After being taken to court, the Herald’s proprietors were fined £5 and costs. Hawkins later commented that he believed his paper was unfairly singled out by the government.

Hawkins sold the last of his shares in the newspaper in 1907. From 1917 until the newspaper closed in the 1950s, the newspaper was run by the Pahiatua Herald Company with the directors and editors changing over time.

Like many small newspapers in New Zealand, it was difficult to keep the paper going during World War II, despite the efforts of the local business community. It was revived in 1943 as the North Wairarapa Herald. That year, one issue of the newspaper was printed in gold as a tribute to the return of local resident Lieutenant Keith Elliott, winner of a Victoria Cross.

According to Steve Carle, editor of the Bush Telegraph, the North Wairarapa Herald became the North Wairarapa News in June 1954, and then the Bush Telegraph from 20 December 1977. In 2020 the Bush Telegraph was still being published as a weekly community newspaper owned by NZME.