Now 2.7 million New Zealanders read newspapers and more than 1.6 million read magazines
Roy Morgan readership results for New Zealand’s newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2024.
Of New Zealanders aged 14+ - 61.7%, an estimated 2.70 million, now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 37.9% - an estimated 1.65 million New Zealanders aged 14+, read magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app.
These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,252 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2024.
New Zealand Herald is most widely read, and nine out of the top ten titles grew their audience
In the 12 months to December 2024 New Zealand’s most widely read publication is the New Zealand Herald reaching a total cross-platform audience of 1,769,000 in the 12 months to December 2024, up an impressive 49,000 (+2.8%) on a year ago. In a clear second place, reaching an audience of 350,000, is the Dominion Post, following an increase of 9,000 (+2.6%) on a year ago.
Two stand-out titles experienced strong audience growth in audience over the past year. Third placed Otago Daily Times grew its audience by 42,000 (+16.2%) to 301,000, and fourth-placed The Press, up 36,000 (+14.6%) to 282,000.
Filling out the top six was the Waikato Times with an audience of 190,000, an increase of 11,000 (+6.1%) on a year ago and the Sunday Star-Times with an audience of 182,000.
The four other newspapers in the top ten also increased their audiences on a year ago including Hawke’s Bay Today, up 12,000 (+8.1%) to 161,000, Bay of Plenty Times, up 13,000 (+9.2%) to 155,000, Northern Advocate, up 11,000 (+9.0%) to 133,000 and the Taranaki Daily News, up 3,000 (+2.6%) to 119,000.
Top 10 Newspapers – Total 7 Day Cross-Platform Audience (Print & Online)
| Publication | Digital (web or app) | Total 7 Day Cross-Platform Audience* (print, web or app) | |||||
| Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | % Change | |
| ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | % | |
| New Zealand Herald | 484 | 426 | 1,509 | 1,577 | 1,720 | 1,769 | +2.8% |
| Dominion Post | 145 | 158 | 248 | 243 | 341 | 350 | +2.6% |
| Otago Daily Times | 85 | 92 | 211 | 246 | 259 | 301 | +16.2% |
| The Press | 119 | 123 | 172 | 211 | 246 | 282 | +14.6% |
| Waikato Times | 67 | 61 | 124 | 139 | 179 | 190 | +6.1% |
| Sunday Star-Times | 151 | 125 | 56 | 64 | 195 | 182 | -6.7% |
| Hawke’s Bay Today | 47 | 55 | 121 | 124 | 149 | 161 | +8.1% |
| Bay of Plenty Times | 58 | 44 | 95 | 120 | 142 | 155 | +9.2% |
| Northern Advocate | 43 | 44 | 97 | 108 | 122 | 133 | +9.0% |
| Taranaki Daily News | 39 | 45 | 94 | 97 | 116 | 119 | +2.6% |
*Cross-Platform Audience is the number of New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual newspaper content via print or online. Print is net readership in an average 7 days. Online is net readership online in an average 7 days.
19 magazines increased their ‘average issue print readership’ in the year to December 2024
Roy Morgan New Zealand’s latest figures show that 19 of the 49 magazines measured increased their print readership in the year to December 2024 compared to a year earlier.
New Zealand’s most widely read magazine is the driving magazine AA Directions which had an average issue readership of 382,000 during the year to December 2024 – an increase of 3,000 on a year ago.
Another star performer was New Zealand Listener to which increased its readership in the last year and is clearly second-placed with an average issue readership of 220,000, up 2,000 on a year ago.
In third place, NZ Woman’s Day, increased its print readership by an impressive 14,000 to 145,000, to be just ahead of Kia Ora (Air New Zealand’s inflight magazine) which increased its print readership by 12,000 to 137,000.
Filling out the top six most widely read magazines is the TV Guide with an average issue print readership of 113,000 and Fish & Game NZ with print readership of 106,000, up 1,000 on a year ago.
There were also readership increases for the widely read Dish, up 8,000 to 103,000, and NZ House & Garden, up a large 18,000 to a readership of 97,000 – one of the largest increases of any magazine.
Other titles in the top 10 most widely read magazines are the Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition) with 102,000 readers and Habitat with an average issue print readership of 101,000.
Other magazines to grow their readership significantly during the year to December 2024 include NZ Geographic, up 19,000 to 49,000 (the largest increase of any magazine in New Zealand), Grapevine, up 18,000 to 38,000 and New Idea, up 13,000 to 62,000.
There were nine other magazines with increases to their average issue print readership led by NZ Life & Leisure, up 4,000 to a readership of 68,000, Heritage NZ, up 6,000 to 52,000, Your Home & Garden, up 4,000 to 47,000, Kiwi Gardener, up 9,000 to 43,000, Homestyle NZ, up 2,000 to 39,000, NZ Weddings & Honeymoons, up 4,000 to 31,000, Better Homes & Gardens, up 3,000 to 23,000, Healthy Food Guide, up 2,000 to 19,000 and NZ Motorhomes Caravans & Destinations, up 5,000 to 18,000.
New Zealand’s Top 10 Magazines by Average Issue Print Readership
| Publication | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | % Change |
| ‘000s | ‘000s | % | |
| AA Directions* | 379 | 382 | +0.8% |
| New Zealand Listener* | 218 | 220 | +0.9% |
| NZ Woman’s Day* | 131 | 145 | +10.7% |
| KiaOra (Air NZ inflight magazine) | 125 | 137 | +9.6% |
| TV Guide* | 138 | 113 | -18.1% |
| Fish & Game NZ* | 105 | 106 | +1.0% |
| Dish* | 95 | 103 | +8.4% |
| Australian Women’s Weekly (NZ Edition)* | 120 | 102 | -15.0% |
| Habitat* | 104 | 101 | -2.9% |
| NZ House & Garden* | 79 | 97 | +22.8% |
*Roy Morgan has measured additional readership for this magazine via Cross-Platform Audiences – see next section.
A majority of magazines measured (12/19) grew their total cross-platform audiences in 2024 led by AA Directions, New Zealand Listener, NZ Woman’s Day, Dish and Fish & Game NZ
Roy Morgan’s latest total cross-platform audience figures for 19 leading magazines show that 12/19 (63%) magazines tracked grew their audiences during 2024 – including eight of the top 10 (80%).
AA Directions is still easily New Zealand’s most widely read magazine with a market-leading total cross-platform audience of 472,000 – up 12,000 (+2.6%) from a year ago and with a total cross-platform audience more than 200,000 greater than any other magazine.
The second most widely read magazine is New Zealand Listener whichincreased its total cross-platform audience by 18,000 (+7.3%) to 264,000 ahead of the third most widely read NZ Women’s Day with a total cross-platform audience which increased by 7,000 (+3.8%) to 191,000.
Filling out the top six are Dish, with an increase of 3,000 (+1.6%) to 187,000, Fish & Game NZ, up by 11,000 (+6.9%) to 171,000 and NZ Gardener following an increase of 12,000 (+7.7%) to 167,000.
There were also increases for NZ House & Garden up by 7,000 (+4.6%) to an audience of 158,000, Habitat, up by 9,000 (+6.2%) to 155,000, North & South, up by 1,000 (+0.7%) to 138,000, Kiwi Gardener, up by 22,000 (+25.9%) to 107,000, New Idea, up by 11,000 (+14.9%) to 85,000 and Healthy Food Guide, up by 9,000 (+12.7%) to 80,000.
Top 10 Magazines – Total Cross-Platform Audience (Print & Online)
| Publication | Digital (web or app) | Total Cross-Platform Audience* (print, web or app) | |||||
| Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | % Change | |
| ‘000 | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | ‘000s | % | |
| AA Directions | 379 | 382 | 180 | 207 | 460 | 472 | +2.6% |
| New Zealand Listener | 218 | 220 | 54 | 87 | 246 | 264 | +7.3% |
| NZ Woman’s Day/ Now to Love | 131 | 145 | 79 | 76 | 184 | 191 | +3.8% |
| Dish | 95 | 103 | 118 | 125 | 184 | 187 | +1.6% |
| Fish & Game NZ | 105 | 106 | 77 | 96 | 160 | 171 | +6.9% |
| NZ Gardener | 100 | 96 | 75 | 92 | 155 | 167 | +7.7% |
| Australian Women’s Weekly NZ Edition | 120 | 102 | 63 | 80 | 173 | 160 | -7.5% |
| NZ House & Garden | 79 | 97 | 81 | 83 | 151 | 158 | +4.6% |
| Habitat | 104 | 101 | 52 | 71 | 146 | 155 | +6.2% |
| Mindfood | 80 | 59 | 100 | 103 | 158 | 150 | -5.1% |
*Cross-platform audience is the number of New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual magazine content via print or online. Print is average issue readership. Digital is average website visitation and app usage (if available) in last 7 days for weekly titles (New Idea, New Zealand Listener, NZ Woman's Day, NZ Woman's Weekly, Property Press, That's Life, Time, TV Guide) and last 4 weeks for all other non-weekly titles.
Canvas is again easily the most widely read Newspaper Inserted Magazine throughout 2024
The New Zealand Herald’s Canvas(North Island) was clearly the most widely read Newspaper Inserted Magazine over the past year with a readership of 184,000, an increase of 9,000 on a year ago – over 50 per cent higher than any other magazine.
In second place is the widely read Sunday Magazine with a readership of 116,000 just ahead of Your Weekend with a readership of 107,000, up 6,000 on a year ago, and Viva (North Island), also with a readership of 107,000.
Filling out the top six positions are fifth placed Weekend (North Island) with a readership of 91,000 and the sixth placed Your Weekend with a readership of 53,000.
New Zealand’s Leading Newspaper Inserted Magazines by Print Readership
| Publication | Dec 2023 | Dec 2024 | % Change |
| ‘000s | ‘000s | % | |
| Canvas (North Island) | 175 | 184 | +5.1% |
| Sunday Magazine | 129 | 116 | -10.1% |
| Your Weekend | 101 | 107 | +5.9% |
| Viva (North Island) | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Weekend (North Island) | 114 | 91 | -20.2% |
| Be Well (North Island) | 92 | 53 | -42.4% |
Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan, says:
“The latest Roy Morgan readership figures for New Zealand show over three-fifths of New Zealanders, 2.7 million (61.7% of the population aged 14+), now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app).
“The leading newspaper is the NZ Herald with a total cross-platform audience of 1,769,000, an increase of 49,000 (+2.8%) on a year ago. The Herald is read by over five times as many people as the second placed Dominion Post – read by 350,000 and up 9,000 (+2.6%) on a year ago.
“An impressive nine of the top ten newspapers by audience size (including the Herald and the Post) increased their cross-platform audiences. These include the Otago Daily Times (up 16.2% to 301,000), The Press (up 14.6% to 282,000), the Waikato Times (up 6.1% to 190,000), Hawke’s Bay Today (up 8.1% to 161,000) and Bay of Plenty Times (up 9.2% to 155,000).
“Readership of print magazines is over 1.5 million representing more than a third of New Zealanders (35.5% of the population aged 14+). In addition, the total cross-platform audience of magazines is even higher at 1.65 million (37.9% of the population aged 14+).
“There were several outstanding performers over the last year with readership increases for 19 magazines. Impressively, readership for seven out of the top 10 print magazines increased and the total cross-platform audiences of eight out of the top 10 magazines was up on a year ago.
“The three most widely read magazines increased both their print readership and cross-platform audiences over the last year. AA Directions with a print readership of 382,000 (up 3,000 on a year ago) and a total cross-platform audience of 472,000 (up 12,000) is the most widely read magazine in New Zealand once again.
“In second place is New Zealand Listener with a print readership of 220,000 (up 2,000 on a year ago) and a cross-platform audience of 264,000 (up 18,000) ahead of NZ Woman’s Day with a print readership of 145,000 (up 14,000) and a cross-platform audience of 191,000 (up 7,000).
“KiaOra, Air New Zealand’s inflight magazine, increased its print readership by an impressive 12,000 to 137,000 and is now the country’s fourth most widely read print magazine in 2024.
“Several other leading magazines performed well with increases in both print readership and cross-platform audience. Fish & Game NZ increased print readership by 1,000 to 106,000 and its cross-platform audience by 11,000 to 171,000, the print readership for Dish was up 8,000 to 103,000 and its cross-platform audience was up 3,000 to 187,000, and NZ House & Garden had a large jump in print readership, up 18,000 to 97,000 and a rise in its cross-platform audience by 7,000 to 158,000.
“The New Zealand economy has faced a challenging period over the last year, but millions of New Zealanders continue to turn to newspapers and magazines for interesting and exciting content.
“The performance of many magazines over the last year has been impressive with 19 magazines increasing their print readership and eight of the top ten most widely read magazines increasing their cross-platform audiences.”
Related research findings
Download our latest profiles of New Zealanders who read different Newspapers or Magazines.
To learn more about Roy Morgan’s Readership results for New Zealand call +61 (3) 9224 5309 or email askroymorgan@roymorgan.com.
About Roy Morgan
Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers.
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
