New Zealand’s two largest newspaper companies – also the owners of many other media products – have applied to the Commerce Commission for permission to merge. This will create a company that owns almost 90% of all daily newspaper circulation and the two largest news website in New Zealand. A group of academics from around New Zealand, including The Policy Observatory’s Julienne Molineaux, have submitted to the Commerce Commission, arguing against the merger. Julienne has also written about the long slow decline of the newspaper industry in New Zealand in a Briefing Paper.

Briefing paper:   Stuff-Me: The newspaper gobble-up

The Commerce Commission submission: NZME Fairfax Submission