American mag about this country to be sold here

An American magazine about New Zealand goes on sale in bookstores here this week.

New Zealand Magazine will carry an "imported from the US" label when it hits the shelves.

Publisher Marty Behrens said requests from New Zealanders sparked the decision to distribute the US-printed magazine through Whitcoulls and Paper Plus stores.

The title, launched in the US last year, had a circulation of 20,000 through newsstands, subscriptions and controlled circulation.

Behrens aimed to increase its US circulation to 50,000 within the next year.

He said the title was pitched at wealthy Americans who wanted to travel here, including potential property investors. "In the next edition, there's an article on how to sensitively buy property in New Zealand," said Behrens.

Travel, dining, heritage and explanations of quintessential Kiwi life feature regularly.

Behrens said the magazine sold well in big American cities - such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York - and Austin, the "liberal bastion" of Texas.

"The purpose of the magazine is to appeal to North American travel and lifestyle people who love New Zealand."

He said the publication's content, edited in Auckland, might surprise "modest" New Zealanders who were not used to North America's more boastful style.

"Maybe folks will pick it up and say, 'Actually, we've got a reason to crow here a little bit, there's reason for us to be proud'," said Behrens, who moved here from Los Angeles in the 1980s and runs the magazine from Auckland, with sales, printing and distribution partners in the US.

He said the US's "robust" magazine advertising market meant it was more economically viable for him to publish a title for a US audience than a local audience.

Advertisers included some Government departments, Auckland City Council, wineries and US-based businesses that specialised in doing business in the Southern Hemisphere.


Positive spin

* Edited locally.
* Printed in Kentucky.
* Launched in US last year.
* Goes on sale here this week.