New Zealand technology press users’ guide

Bill Bennett -

There have been changes since this guide to New Zealand’s technology press was first written in August 2008. Technology publications are evolving.

Computerworld has switched to fortnightly publishing and now has a smaller page size. Tone and CIO have moved to a bi-monthly schedule. The Action Media titles now have websites.

IDG's titles were published under licence by Fairfax Business Media, which was managed out of Australia but are now part of the New Zealand-controlled Fairfax Business Group along with Unlimited, Actv8 and The Independent.

New Zealand's technology press continues to shrink, but there is still life.

Computerworld New Zealand

Until the start of the year Computerworld was a weekly print tabloid newspaper. The print edition now appears fortnightly and with a smaller page size. Computerworld New Zealand still tends to break local news stories ahead of most local mainstream newspapers.

However, the news is more likely to break online than in print these days and thanks to changes at the National Business Review it faces tougher competition. ComputerWorld is mainly read by senior technology executives and other people who work with IT. The title has been printed in New Zealand for more than 20 years. ComputerWorld remains the dominant specialist IT news publication in New Zealand in terms of influence if not in terms of advertising revenue. And the longest running title in the local technology press.

Editor: Rob O’Neill
Published by Fairfax Business Group
Fortnightly
http://computerworld.co.nz/

New Zealand PC World

A monthly A4 magazine mainly sold on bookstands, in supermarkets and petrol stations. PC World is read by technical types who get to choose or heavily influence the products they use at work and home. Contains reviews and how to features. Coverage is largely focused on personal aspects of computing. Includes some games and consumer electronics material. PC World had already moved beyond just covering conventional desktop computers – a process that has accelerated in the past six months.

Editor: Ted Gibbons
Published by Fairfax Business Group
Monthly

New Zealand Reseller News

Fortnightly tabloid newspaper for people who sell and otherwise work in the IT channel. Has strong news focus with emphasis on business and people stories long with regular advice features and commentary. Now more than ten years old.

New Zealand Reseller News is only sent to qualified readers (i.e. people who work in the IT channel)  who have requested the publication. Most of the news on the web site is derived from the IDG newswire, but there are daily local stories and information about tenders and contracts.

Editor: Chris Bell
Published by Fairfax Business Group
Fortnightly
http://reseller.co.nz

CIO New Zealand

Influential A4 magazine focusing on the business and strategic aspects of large scale IT. Mainly feature based. Read by the people who make corporate buying decisions in large organisations. Published since 1999. In 2007 it merged with rival MIS magazine and still retains the brand for special publications. Has a strong, active community with a comprehensive events program.

CIO was monthly but has now switched to bi-monthly publishing. It is one of the longest running titles in New Zealand’s technology press.

Editor: Divina Paredes
Published by Fairfax Business Group
Bi-Monthly
http://cio.co.nz/

Gear Guide

PC World spin off now on its third edition, essentially a buyers' guide for home computer products and consumer electronics. A4 magazine format, sold on bookstands at $9.80 a pop.

Tone

Was monthly, now bi-monthly A4 bookstand magazine covering home entertainment, technology and hi-fi. Heavy product focus, i.e. mainly contains product reviews and product-related features. Technology content is relatively minor compared to Tone’s consumer electronics coverage.

Editor: Gary Steel
Published by Parkside
Bi-monthly
http://www.tone.co.nz

The Channel

Monthly A4 magazine for the IT channel. Feature driven, lots of guides and “how to” stories. Now two and a half years old.

Distributed free of charge to people working in ‘the IT channel’. Much of the content is paid ‘advertorial’. Front cover is sold as an advertisement. Web site added since previous publication guide.

Editor: Clare Coulson
Published by Action Media
Monthly
http://www.thechannel.co.nz/

iStart

Quarterly A4 magazine for “business and IT managers needing to improve their business with web based technology.” Mainly contains paid-for case studies. Now also has an Australian edition.

Published by iStart
Quarterly
http://www.istart.co.nz

New Zealand Netguide

Monthly A5 bookstand magazine aimed at less-technical readers. As the name suggests the publication largely covers Internet related stories, but it also has product reviews. Sold by ACP Media to Action Media last year. Now includes games content from Action Media’s Games Console title.

Editor: Jonathan Cotton
Published by Action Media
Monthly

Telecommunications Review

According to the web site’s subscription’s page the print edition of Telecommunications Review will return in May or June 2008. At the time of writing this hasn’t happened. However there is a website. When Telecommunications Review was previously published it was a monthly, glossy trade newspaper for people working in the industry and their more technically sophisticated customers – in practice, this meant pages of stories about Telecom New Zealand the dominant player in this market.

Published by Action Media

IT Brief

A small monthly A4 magazine of “peer-reviewed industry comment” (although some of the content appears to be written by public relations companies) aimed at senior business and IT executives within corporate, government and enterprise businesses.

Published by Action Media
Monthly

Interface

Published eight times a year (twice each school term), Interface is an A4 magazine aimed at school teachers responsible for using computers and information technology in the classroom.

Editor: Greg Adams
Published by G Media
Eight times a year
http://www.nz-interface.co.nz/

 

Actv8

A quarterly free magazine for school students. Distributed via schools and supported by the Ministry of Education. Actv8 promotes careers and higher education courses in technology-related areas. The stories tend to be short and written for teenagers, the design is colourful and loose.

Actv8’s web site hasn’t been updated since August 2008.

Published by Fairfax Business Group

MyMobile

A monthly mobile phone buyers guide with reviews and articles on how to get the most from mobile phones. Sold on bookstands. A5 size.

Published by iStart
Monthly