History of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post: Closure brings 45-year journey to an end

The Hauraki Coromandel Post e-Edition.

The Hauraki-Coromandel Post is one of the 14 community newspapers that NZME are closing before Christmas. For the final edition, the publication is looking back on its journey.

At first glance, the Hauraki-Coromandel Post looks like a young, 4-year-old spring chicken, having been formed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

But upon having a closer look, the paper reveals a legacy of 45 years, having been born out of a merger of the Coastal News and Waihi Leader.

The Coastal News goes back to 1979, when it was founded by Coromandel local John Hoskins as the Whangamata Flash.

Hoskins started The Flash as a way to promote his printing services to local businesses, first with a fortnightly and then a weekly edition. Initially, it was a one-man-show with Hoskins writing, printing and delivering it, before he joined forces with local businessman Peter Hollett.

It became the Coastal News in 1988 and had several editors since, including Allen Winter from 1997 until 2010, the late Lesley Staniland from 2010 until 2019 and Alison Smith who was also the editor of the Waihi Leader.

The Waihi Leader was founded by Robert “Rob” Bowater and his wife Annette in 1981 with the first edition being published in March that year.

Before starting the Leader, Rob worked as a journalist at the Waihi Gazette. Annette joined the staff some years later and served as its long-time editor.

The Bowaters ran the Waihi Leader until 2003, when they retired and sold it to APN, now NZME.

During the Bowaters' tenure and with the help of reporters, including Cyndy Pratt and Andy Hatton, the paper covered numerous local issues, especially local government and gold mining.

The HC Post has a bit of history. The bottom picture on the right was the HC Post's first front page.

After APN bought the Leader, reporters included Sharlene van Leeuwen, Sally Gibbs and Rebecca Mauger with editors including Fritha Tagg and Melanie Camoin.

In 2020, before the papers were combined, the Coastal News had a circulation of 8120 going into urban and rural homes in Whangamatā, Whiritoa, Ōnemana, Pauanui, Tairua and up the eastern seaboard to Whitianga.

The Waihi Leader had a circulation of 8821 being delivered to homes in Waihī, Waihī Beach, Athenree, Katikati, Waikino and Paeroa.

Waihī resident John Hoskins is the founder of The Flash newspaper, which became the Now Coastal News, before being merged with the Waihi Leader to become the HC Post.

The first edition of the HC Post, an election special, was published on October 8, 2020, with a circulation of 15,646.

The editor at the time, Alison Smith, wrote in an editorial piece in that edition that the HC Post was formed during the level 4 lockdown.

“Thank you for picking up your new-look community newspaper, the Hauraki-Coromandel Post. Our team are proud to be the vehicle for serving a bigger area than we ever have before.

“The merging of our two titles, the Coastal News and Waihi Leader ... was among the changes we made as a business employing local people in this challenging year.

“Working in partnership with our Coromandel and Hauraki advertisers, we’ve been your community voice for over 40 years - a tradition of local journalism and sales ... professionals who care about our communities and want to see them succeed.”

Talking to the Hauraki-Coromandel Post this week, Smith said the paper had been well-loved by the community.

“I am proud and sad to see this newspaper reach its final edition. The HC Post reached a healthy 80 pages during my tenure as editor, and we expanded to cover further areas of Hauraki... with every area having unique stories to tell.”

Lesley Staniland and Allen Winter, editors of the Coastal News in 2010.

Big stories included the “wholesale slaughter” of unprotected fish species pink maomao by recreational fishers which resulted in nationwide consultation on legislative changes, the OceanaGold mine, the world’s first commercial seaweed nanocellulose facility in Paeroa, the long-lasting impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, a special kauri gum find, the Tairua Skatepark, and the tale of Larry the duck.

Smith left the HC Post in 2022, with Jim Birchall taking over the reins.

Birchall said he was saddened to read about the paper’s closure.

Hauraki-Coromandel Post editors - past and present - Alison Smith, Jim Birchall and Al Williams.

“I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to be editor of the HC Post in late 2022.

“Despite the inevitable ups and downs that come with being a journalist, my time in the hot seat was made enjoyable by the good people I met and the privilege of sharing their stories.”

Current editor Al Williams has been leading the paper only since March this year when he moved back to New Zealand from the Cook Islands with his young family.

Williams said he was in shock and lost for words about the sudden closure, but said it had been “a pleasure and honour” to serve the people of Hauraki-Coromandel.

“On reflection, the Hauraki and Coromandel districts are a series of villages, served well by their people,” he said.

“It was those people who helped shape the publication, highlighting the community’s needs, concerns and endeavours.”

The final edition, published by NZME, had a circulation of 19,100.