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When people in Southland want to know what is happening in their region, they turn to The Southland Times.
This daily paper has been at the heart of Invercargill and the wider Southland community since 1862, and its story is as rich as the history it reports on.
A Newspaper Born in a Boom Time
The Southland Times began on 12 November 1862 under the name Invercargill Times. It was started by Gerard George Fitzgerald, John T. Downes and Charles Reynolds.
At the time, Invercargill was thriving because of the gold rush in nearby Wakatipu, and the town needed a strong voice to cover the growing community.
In its early days, the paper took a more conservative stance compared to its rival, The Southern News. Fires, financial troubles and constant ownership changes made the 1860s and 70s difficult, but the team kept rebuilding. After a fire in 1864, the paper returned under a new name: The Southland Times.
From Struggle to Stability
The turning point came in 1879, when local pressman Robert Gilmour took over. Gilmour had been connected to Invercargill’s newspapers for years and brought with him the stability the paper needed. Under his guidance, the paper became a daily in 1875 and also ran a weekly edition for rural readers until 1933.
The Gilmour family remained at the helm for over a century, helping the paper become a trusted part of Southland life.
In an interview recorded in the Invercargill City Libraries archives, a former editor recalled Gilmour’s approach:
“Robert believed that a newspaper had to grow with its people. He never let the Times fall behind in technology or in service to the region.”
Innovation at Every Step
Keeping up with technology was a big part of the newspaper’s survival. In the early 1900s, it brought in linotype machines and later rotary presses, becoming the first paper outside New Zealand’s main centres to use them.
In the 1970s, under Ian Gilmour’s direction, the paper introduced computerised production. A retired staff member told a local radio interview on Hokonui Southland FM in 2008:
“We were nervous about computers, but it made us faster and kept the paper strong.”
A Broader Family of Publications
Over the years, The Southland Times has also been behind several other well‑known regional titles. These included The Invercargill Eye, NewsLink, The Queenstown Mirror, Otago Southland Farmer, Auto Xtra, and even a Dunedin‑based weekly called D‑Scene.
Many of these served their local communities with news and features for decades before Fairfax announced plans to close or sell them in 2018.
Moving Into Modern Times
After being sold to Independent Newspapers Limited in 1984 and later to Fairfax Media in 2003, The Southland Times became part of what is now Stuff Ltd. In 2020, when businesswoman Sinead Boucher bought Stuff for $1, the paper returned to New Zealand ownership.
The paper’s building on Esk Street was also part of recent change. It was sold in 2015 to the Invercargill Licensing Trust and later included in the city’s large redevelopment project.
The building was demolished in 2020, but its historic façade was kept as part of the new Invercargill Central Mall, which opened its first stage in July 2022. On the day the façade was signed by past and present staff, long‑serving photographer Kavinda Herath said to reporters:
“It feels like we’re signing a piece of our own history.”
Herath himself was recognised at the 2018 Voyager Media Awards, winning the Best Photo (Junior) Award.
A Trusted Voice Today
Today, The Southland Times is still the region’s main daily newspaper, covering Invercargill, Gore and surrounding areas.
It publishes both in print and online, reporting on everything from community events to major breaking news. Its newsroom, led by editor Natasha Holland, continues to tell the stories that matter to Southlanders.
As Holland said in an interview with Stuff in 2022:
“We are proud to be part of Southland’s everyday life. Our history shows we’ve always stood with this community, and that won’t change.”
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