The Mercury Bay Informer

{{Short description|New Zealand newspaper}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = The Mercury Bay Informer | format = [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]] | founded = 2003 | owners = Pauline and Stan Stewart | language = English | circulation = 6,500–8,000 | headquarters = 14 Monk St <br />[[Whitianga]], New Zealand | ISSN = | website = {{URL|http://www.theinformer.co.nz//}} }}

'''''The Mercury Bay Informer''''' is a newspaper in [[Whitianga]], New Zealand. Established in 2003 by Denise Gunson, it was purchased in 2006 by Gerry Church and Linda Cholmondeley-Smith.In January 2013, it was bought by Stephan and Petra Bosman. Pauline and Stan Stewart bought The Informer in May 2022.

The paper was initially a black and white, A4 sized publication. It started being printed in colour in October 2012.

Published weekly on a Tuesday, it has a print run varying between 6,500 and 8000 copies (with more being printed in the busy summer season) throughout the [[Coromandel Peninsula]]. The paper varies between 28 and 44 pages. A winter and a summer magazine are also published.

The Informer covers news, events and people from the [[Whangapoua]] settlement in the north, down the east coast to [[Tairua]]. It reports on all areas of local history, culture, arts, sports and often profiles notable figures in the community. It also contains a weekly fishing report, provided by the Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club and a report by the [[Mercury Bay]] local police.

The paper has a website which is updated as and when news happens. An online version of the paper is also published.

In August 2015, The Mercury Bay informer sold the town of [[Whitianga]] on [[Trade Me]] for $32 to draw attention to the fact that people who live there were unable to list it as home when buying and selling on the site.<ref name="The paper that sold its own town to prove it exists">{{cite news|author=Mediawatch|title=The paper that sold its own town to prove it exists|date=Aug 30, 2015|newspaper=RadioNZ|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201768406/the-paper-that-sold-its-own-town-to-prove-it-exists}}</ref> A campaign in the paper, and an open letter from the paper's owner prompted the online auction company to rectify the situation, demonstrating the influence a local paper can have when speaking on behalf of its readers.

==See also== *[[Whitianga]] *[[Mercury Bay]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.theinformer.co.nz/ The Mercury Bay Informer]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercury Bay Informer, The}} [[Category:Newspapers published in New Zealand]] [[Category:2003 establishments in New Zealand]] [[Category:Newspapers established in 2003]] [[Category:Thames-Coromandel District]]