Fairfax shifting more jobs to NZ

It is not known how many jobs will be created in New Zealand as a result of the latest Fairfax move. Photo / Ross Setford

Publisher Fairfax Media is moving more sub-editing work from Australia to New Zealand in a bid to reduce costs.

Fairfax has already moved sub-editing work from the Newcastle Herald, the Illawarra Mercury and community titles to New Zealand, resulting in the loss of 66 jobs in Australia.

On Wednesday it said it will move the copy sub-editing of its Financial Review Group (FRG), which includes The Australian Financial Review newspaper and BRW magazine, to New Zealand, affecting 13 jobs in Australia.

Fairfax Media New Zealand group executive editor Paul Thompson declined to comment on how many jobs will be created in New Zealand as a result of the latest move, which is subject to a two-week period of consultation.

"FRG, like every media business in the world that is committed to its future, is changing and improving the way it delivers journalism and services," the company said.

The move of the work to New Zealand will deliver significant cost efficiencies while maintaining the quality of the publications.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the union that represents journalists in Australia, said the proposal was foolish.

The union will urge the company to drop the plan.

"The experience of the Fairfax regional titles with outsourcing production to New Zealand has not been good. It is impossible for sub-editors located in another country to have the depth of knowledge about local circumstances and events needed to do the job," said alliance federal secretary Christopher Warren.

"However it appears that rather than learn from their mistakes, Fairfax management is determined to compound them."