Waipawa Mail

The first of the southern Hawke’s Bay newspapers, the Waipawa Mail, was first published on 14 September 1878 by Hugh Thomson. He was an experienced journalist who had edited a number of newspapers including the New Zealand Times and the Inangahua Herald. In his first issue Thomson mentioned that the initial setup and equipment had been arranged by the prolific newspaper proprietor, Joseph Ivess. However, Ivess sold the business to Thomson, when he realised his other business engagements would prevent him from living in the district.

Reporting on the second issue of the Mail, the Temuka Leader said: ‘The Waipawa Mail is very well got up, and gives promise of being fairly supported by advertisers. Waipawa seems a pretty well-to-do place.’(Temuka Leader, 28 September 1878: 2).

Thomson sold the newspaper to a group that included Henry Wilding in September 1879. The following year, the group formed the Waipawa Mail Newspaper and Printing Company, with Wilding as the chair.

In 1884, the Mail was purchased by Samuel Johnson who had earlier founded the Albertland Gazette, and the Marlborough Express. However, Johnson, described by one newspaper as ‘that sturdy old Radical’, found the local farming community hostile to his point of view. He sold the paper to a local company and became the town’s coroner instead. The new owners appointed Daniel Chamier as editor and early in 1885 moved from publishing the Mail from two to three times a week. After Chamier left in 1887, John T Marryat Hornsby took the paper over.

Hornsby resigned in 1889, as the result of a libel case brought by Dr Von Mirbach. The Mail had published correspondence that stated that Mirbach was not entitled to call himself a doctor of medicine, and implied he was a quack. Mirbach was able to show he held degrees in medicine, surgery and midwifery and the court found in his favour, awarding him £251 (around $51,000 in 2020).

Mirbach also sued the next editor of the Mail, Henry Ellison, for libel in 1891, claiming £1,000 in damages. This claim was settled in June 1892, with the newspaper withdrawing all insinuations against Mirbach. Ellison resigned the same month and was replaced by Charles Mitchell Whittington in September. When the newspaper company went into liquidation in 1900, it was purchased by Whittington who remained with the paper until his death in 1914.

The Mail was then purchased by the sub-editor from the Daily Telegraph (Napier), Charles H Critchley, and continued under his ownership until 24 January 1941 when it ceased publication. Staff and paper shortages during the Second World War had made it impossible to stay afloat. However, the printing side of the business continued throughout the war. After Critchley retired, the printing company was taken over by Laurence Carne, and then Howard Francis (Joe) Franks.

About six months after purchasing the printing business, Franks decided to start up a community newspaper after discussions with the local Chamber of Commerce. A committee was formed by the Chamber to try and drum up enough advertising to pay for a free weekly. They succeeded, and the first issue of the new Waipawa Mail came out on 25 July 1946. It was eventually sold to the Hawke’s Bay Herald Tribune in 1978. In 1980 the weekly Mail was merged with the Central Hawke’s Bay Press to form the Mail (Waipukurau), later known as the CHB Mail.