The Post turns two! Free days, subscription deal to celebrate impressive growth

The Post is dropping its paywall and offering discounted digital subscriptions this week as it celebrates accelerating subscriber growth and a booming national audience, two years since its relaunch.

In their second year, the digital subscription news sites for The Post, The Press and Waikato Times have grown their combined audience by 39% and subscriber base by 78% compared to the first year*.

Stuff Masthead Publishing Managing Director Joanna Norris says in just two years, the subscriptions sites have achieved impressive growth while The Post has cemented itself as a news brand from the capital for the nation.

“The Post is where movers and shakers right across the country turn to for the sharpest political, business and economic news and analysis. We’ve expanded The Post’s Auckland newsroom with a focus on business reporting, making significant inroads in the Auckland market in particular. Readers outside of Wellington now make up 80% of The Post’s audience - it is truly a national news brand.”

The Post Editor Tracy Watkins says the growing audience and subscriber base demonstrates New Zealanders’ appetites for high quality journalism.

“We’ve got the best political and business journalists and columnists in the country delivering amazing work for our readers and subscribers across New Zealand: From the no-holds-barred political commentary of Andrea Vance, the economic insights of Luke Malpass and the insider knowledge of regular guest columnists like Vernon Small.”

The Free Days, which run on April 7 and 8, give non-subscribers a chance to see the high quality, uniquely New Zealand journalism they can enjoy and support with a digital subscription to The Post, The Press or Waikato Times. For just the price of a flat white each week, digital subscribers get access to all three mastheads’ sites, news from the Sunday Star-Times and Stuff Group’s seven regional mastheads, plus a wealth of premium magazine content from NZ House & Garden and NZ Gardener - all while supporting strong local storytelling.

Digital subscriptions will also be on sale at just 50 cents a week for 10 weeks or an annual subscription for just $99 for the first year.

*Source: Nielsen Online Ratings February 2024 vs February 2025