The Westport News is an independently owned newspaper published in Westport, New Zealand. It is published on weekdays, and features a combination of national and international wire articles, local news stories and weather forecasts, and specialist coverage of farming, education, the arts and lifestyle issues. In 2008 it had a print run of 2200 copies and a circulation of 1884 people. The newspaper operates a small printing, reporting and weather operation in Westport, Westport News coverage of local events has been quoted by national media outlets like Radio New Zealand and Stuff.co.nz, and by other regional media like the Greymouth Star. Some of its stories are also distributed on the NZMEwire service, and published by the New Zealand Herald and Otago Daily Times. Former reporters have gone on to work for the Financial Times, Reuters, New Zealand Press Association, NZ Newswire and Fairfax New Zealand.
History
The newspaper began in the earliest days of European settlement in 1871, just ten years after the arrival of the first gold miners in 1861. The first European vessel known to have entered the river was the sealingschoonerThree Brothers more than a decade later in 1884. Gold mining is no longer part of the region's economy; coal mining, farming, fishing, cement making and tourism have taken its place. More than 12 local newspapers were published in the WestCoast in the 20th century, but only the Westport News and Greymouth Star were the only ones operating in 2010. The newspaper reported on the opening of the West Coast railway during Premier Richard Seddon's first official visit to the region in May 1883. It also described how Seddon allowed a mining town to be named Seddonville after him. Almost a century later, it reported on the paving of the new Buller Bridge in November 1976. Following inquiries from the Westport News, the New Zealand Army Museum identified the gun at the front of the museum was the 40 pounder artillery gun that once stood at Victoria Park in Westport. Otago University holds an archive of the newspaper from 1982 to 1991. The Talley's Group took the Westport News to the New Zealand Press Council in November 2000 over reports about alleged odours emitted by the Talley fishmeal factory in Westport. However, the Press Council refused to uphold the complaint.
A local radio station, Coast FM, also broadcasts from the Westport News office to most of the West Coast Region. The station began in 1995 as Radio Fifeshire Westport in partnership with Fifeshire FM in Nelson, and started broadcasting in Hokitika and Greymouth in 1996. The station was rebranded as Coast FM in 1999, but is not related to Coast network that broadcasts in other parts of the country. The station's programmes include the weekday morning Early Morning Wake Up with Lisa Pattinson, the weekday afternoon Late Late Breakfast Show with Dave Williamson, the weeknight Night Café with Jason Mac, the Friday night Night Zone with Danny Cockfield and the Saturday Morning Sports Show with Barry Townrow. The station broadcasts mid-morning trade and exchange notices, cancellation notices for Sunset Speedway, and live commentaries of Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union and Buller Rugby Football Union games. On Sunday mornings it broadcasts The Great Big Kids Show with Suzy Cato, and country music programme West Coast Country with Barb Berry.
