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Blenheim, Marlborough – After more than 150 years of serving its community, the Marlborough Express has printed its final daily edition. Stuff Ltd confirmed in July 2025 that the long‑running newspaper will now live on only in digital form through The Press website, with the free Saturday Express remaining in print.
The change marks the end of an era for a newspaper that has been part of Marlborough life since 1866. From the early days of Samuel Johnson setting up a paper to unite Blenheim and Picton, through to modern digital reporting, the Express has followed every major event in the region for generations.
A Newspaper Born From Rivalry and Vision
When journalist Samuel Johnson arrived in Blenheim in April 1866, Marlborough already had two newspapers. The Wairau Record served Blenheim while the Marlborough Press served Picton. Johnson promised something different: a paper that would serve the whole province rather than fuel local rivalries.
Early editions of the Express often highlighted regional cooperation and gave equal space to both Blenheim and Picton news. Johnson’s vision helped the paper survive its early years, unlike the short‑lived Marlborough Times that folded after only months of publication.
In an archived interview from the Marlborough Heritage Trust’s oral history series, a descendant of Johnson recalled him saying,
“A good paper should speak for all its people, not just a single street or township.”
Growth and Ownership Through the Decades
By 1880, the Express had grown enough to become a daily paper. Smith Furness and James Boudy purchased it in 1879, guiding it through a period of expansion. Under their leadership, the Express absorbed its competitors — the Marlborough Times in 1895 and the Marlborough Press in 1948 cementing its place as the province’s leading voice.
The Furness family controlled the paper until 1998 when Independent Newspapers Limited (INL), part of Rupert Murdoch’s global network, took ownership. Fairfax New Zealand acquired the title in 2003 and later became Stuff Ltd in 2018.
In a 2013 podcast episode on New Zealand media history, former editor Ian Allen spoke about this legacy:
“It is a privilege to work in a newsroom that has recorded the life of this region for more than a century. Every family here has a connection to the Express somewhere in their past.”
A Changing Industry and the Digital Shift
Like many regional papers worldwide, the Marlborough Express faced declining advertising revenue and rising production costs in the 2010s. Printing moved from Blenheim to Nelson in 2011, then later to Christchurch in 2017. That same year, publication was reduced from daily to three days a week.
Stuff’s recent decision to end the print edition reflects the industry’s wider shift toward digital news. Readers can still access Marlborough news online, and historic editions from 1868 to 1952 are digitised on the National Library’s Papers Past site. Researchers and families often use these archives to trace local history and genealogy, with over 36,000 scans available.
Community Papers Keep the Local Voice Alive
The Express name will continue through the free Saturday Express, first launched in 1985, which reaches most households in the region. The Marlborough Midweek, introduced in 2004, also remains part of Stuff’s local offerings, though it has seen several changes over the years.
A Legacy That Endures
For many in Marlborough, the Express is more than a newspaper. It has chronicled weddings, sports triumphs, council decisions, and moments of national significance. From its foundation in 1866 to its final printed pages in 2025, it has given Marlborough a voice and a record of its history.
As historian David Hollis said during a local radio interview marking the paper’s 150th anniversary,
“The Marlborough Express is woven into the fabric of this region. Its pages tell the story of us all.”
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