NZ Herald launches new app putting readers in control of their news

NZME has launched a new NZ Herald app which enables readers to personalise their own news feed and see more of the content most important to them.

The new app, available now on iOS and Android, comes as NZME celebrates the latest Nielsen readership data. Weekly readership of NZ Herald has grown by 29,000 readers year-on-year, with the paper now reaching a daily brand audience of nearly 1.2 million and a weekly brand audience of 2.3 million Kiwis.

The Herald on Sunday has further strengthened its lead as New Zealand’s most-read weekend paper, growing by 18,000 readers year-on-year – ahead of its nearest competitor by more than 144,000 readers.

The figures also highlight strong growth among younger audiences, with weekly readership among 18-29-year-olds up 26,000 year-on-year – consistent across the last six surveys.*

The Rotorua Daily Post, recent winner of Newspaper of the Year and Regional Newspaper of the Year at the 2026 NZ Media Awards, saw a print readership increase of 36% year on year, and digital audience across the Bay of Plenty region growing too – with NZ Herald digital readership in the region up 21% over the same period.^

Tailor your newsfeed

The ‘My Herald’ feature on the new NZ Herald app allows audiences to order their news feed by topic, author, or saved stories, and change that order as often as they like.

Murray Kirkness, NZ Herald editor-in-chief, says: “There will be those who want politics and business first, and those who prefer entertainment and lifestyle news. Some of our readers are interested in more Auckland news and others Bay of Plenty or Canterbury news, for example. With the new app, they can completely tailor their newsfeed to always see the stories that interest them.”

The app also features a customisable bottom navigation bar, allowing readers choose which Herald brands they can access with a single tap when they open the app. These include OneRoof, Viva, BusinessDesk and e-editions of print papers.

Combined with a top primary headlines feed and swipeable latest news carousel, the new app is designed to make it easier and faster to discover the NZ Herald’s quality content in a way that best suits each user.

Significant milestone

Another new feature is a dedicated video ‘Watch’ section that gives users one-tap access to the Herald’s live shows like Ryan Bridge Today and Herald Now Business with Garth Bray. The watch feature also includes breaking and latest video news and video podcasts from the Herald’s extensive content library.

The new app also supports offline reading, allowing subscribers to download articles in advance and read them without an internet connection.

Kirkness says the launch of the new app is a significant milestone.

“The NZ Herald has been New Zealand’s most-read news app for more than two years.~ This new app takes our relationship with our audience to a new level. For the first time, readers can shape their own Herald experience, building a feed tailored to the news topics, journalists and stories they want to engage with most.

“It’s an app built for the way New Zealanders consume news today and into the future,” he says.

All in one

Beyond personalisation, the new app brings together the breadth of the Herald’s content in one seamless experience.

NZME’s OneRoof property portal is also integrated into the app, while one-tap access to live news video streams and picture-in-picture support (currently on iOS only) means readers can watch or listen to Herald content while multitasking across other apps.

Built on a new technical foundation and designed in-house at NZME, the app also delivers a faster, more responsive platform, positioning the Herald to continue innovating for readers well into the future.

Katie Macdiarmid, NZME chief information officer, says: “The app was built from the ground up by our talented in-house digital team. It’s a completely new ecosystem – new architecture, new features and a new user experience.

“Having this capability within our own team means we can move quickly, innovate on our own terms and continue to build products that set the benchmark for digital news experiences globally.”

Keep on innovating and evolving

NZ Herald Business readership has also increased.

Kirkness says: “NZ Herald Business is widely recognised for its high-quality, focused journalism that is a must-read for the country’s business leaders. Its unique audience is up more than 21% year on year^, featuring incredibly high engagement.

“NZME’s business coverage is of course further complemented by BusinessDesk’s specialist, deep-dive coverage of business, investment and financial developments across New Zealand.

“The overall results reflect our commitment to providing quality, accurate journalism to audiences across every platform. The growth we’re seeing across the board, from younger readers to regional audiences to our business coverage and beyond, tells us Kiwis rely on us for trusted news, and that’s what drives us to keep innovating and evolving.”

Source:

• Nielsen CMI Q2 25 – Q1 26 AP15+.
• ~Nielsen DCR Feb 2024 – Apr 2026.
• *Q1 24 – Q1 26.
• ^Nielsen Online Ratings April 2026.