The Ensign is a regional newspaper based in Gore, New Zealand published on Wednesdays and Fridays by Allied Press Ltd. It was first published in 1878 as The Mataura Ensign and changed to its current name in 1973. The newspaper features coverage of local government, sports and recreation, arts and entertainment, education, farming and business news. It is currently distributed to approximately 12,000 homes over a circulation area that includes Gore and the surrounding area that stretches from Mandeville and Waikaka in the north to Mataura in the south.
History
Founding
The Mataura Ensign began publication in Gore (in Southland) on 10 May 1878, operating out of a hut located beside the shop of Thomson and Beattie. Its full title was The Mataura Ensign, Southlander, and Southern Free Press, Mataura Valley, Gore, Mataura Bridge, Edendale, Woodlands, Wyndham, Toi Tois, Waimea, Otaria, Clinton, Tapanui, Popotunoa, Waiwera, Waikaka, Otamete, Waikaia, Switzers, Riversdale, Nokomai, Kingston, Winton, Invercargill, Bluff, and Riverton Reporter and Advertiser. It was established by Joseph Mackay who owned the Bruce Herald in Milton at the time. Mackay, a Dunedin bookseller and maker of almanacs, was known as a "rag-planter", which was a New Zealand newspaper phenomenon which lasted until the early 1920 whereby enterprising entrepreneurs having identified a growing settlement, would bring in a printing plant and editor, publish several issues of their newspaper often offering cheap advertising rates and then advertise the business for lease or to sale (often to an existing rival). "Rag-planters" tended to favour establishing their newspapers in the months leading up to a general elections.
The "Mataura" in the title comes from the locality, while the "Ensign" is sourced from the Scottish newspaper, the Northern Ensign. The paper's name was suggested by Mackay's local business partner/editor George Renner, after the Scottish newspaper the Northern Ensign. Renner and his partner James Sinclair canvassed the district for subscribers and advertisers.
Mackay was also a pioneer of the "chain newspaper" concept in New Zealand where a small regional newspaper was owned or linked to a larger newspaper from which they sourced a large part of their content. This was reflected in that ten of the twelve weekly pages of the early editions of The Mataura Ensign were directly sourced from the Bruce Herald with the other two being produced locally by George Renner. The pages were printed for the proprietor in Gore by Henry Hughes. This transfer of content was undertaken by shipping the typesetting from town to town for reprinting. The Mataura Ensign was initially published once a week.
Mackay was subsequently forced by financial difficulties to sell the newspaper to F. S. Canning on 4 April 1879. Mackay went on to establish the Southern Free Press and Mataura Herald in 1882 (often referred to as just the Southern Press) which was printed at Gore, Invercargill Mataura and Wyndham but this paper failed to compete with existing newspapers and was sold after eight months and incorporated into The Mataura Ensign. Renner was succeeded as editor by Henderson Carrick. Later owing to a difference of opinion of the relative importance of proprietor and editor, Carrick left.
Canning on 1 April 1881 took in J. G. Souness and a Mr Green as partners. From 1881 the newspaper was published twice weekly. Carrick's place was filled by J. Whitely King. Canning retired from the firm, with Green and Souness carrying on the business for another 16 months.
Purchase by Alfred Dolamore
Experienced Milton newspaper publisher Alfred Dolamore (1858-1895) bought the newspaper from Green and Sourness on 1 August 1882. Dolamore had previous experience on the Nelson Evening Mail and The Southland Times. The Mataura Ensign expanded rapidly under Dolamore and he took on Alfred George Benson Godby in July 1887 as a partner, until upon Godby retiring from the partnership in 1891, Dolamore's brother J. Howard Dolamore (1869-1947) joined him in the partnership. Godby subsequently accidentally killed himself at the age of 38 in 1896 while trying to shoot a cat.
Under the partners the newspaper moved into larger premises and increased its circulation area.