A publishing era came to an end last night when the printing press at the Taranaki Daily News rolled for the last time.
Graham Arthur says he has ink running in his veins. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The shift of the paper's printing south to Petone is a move that has cost 23 jobs in New Plymouth.
The newspaper will continue to be published but will now being printed at Fairfax's Petone production hub.
The Taranaki News was founded in 1857, became a daily in 1885, and is believed to be the second oldest morning daily newpaper in New Zealand, after the Otago Daily Times.
Printing and publishing supervisor Graham Arthur, who has worked at the paper for 27 years, said the writing had been on the wall for the press for some time.
"It's going to be a pretty big blow to the community," he said.
"It's not just the 23 staff - the press people, the publishing people who get the bundles out every morning - it's the businesses who do work for us to keep the press going. They're probably going to feel a little bit of it as well."
The paper's commercial development manager Adrian Sole said despite dropping newspaper circulations, the $21 million investment by Fairfax at Petone showed there was confidence in print.
The printers will celebrate more than 150 years of putting out the paper by gathering in the press hall today, and fresh copies of the paper will begin arriving in New Plymouth from Petone on Monday.
