Nelson newspaper cuts print editions

The Nelson Mail will be published four mornings a week from August, when its Tuesday and Thursday editions will be dropped, publisher Fairfax Media says.

Fairfax New Zealand spokeswoman Phillipa Cameron said the move was expected to result in a small number of job losses, ‘‘likely fewer than four FTES [full-time equivalents]’’.

The E tu union has been contacted for comment.

Fairfax NZ acting chief executive Andrew Boyle said the decision followed a month of consultations with the local community and would make its business in Nelson more sustainable.

A new e-newsletter, the Nelson Mail Daily, will be introduced and the Nelson Leader and Tasman Leader community titles will continue to be published on Thursdays, he said.

The changes are similar to those at the Marlborough Express, which switched to publishing three mornings a week in May in a move that resulted in the loss of four editorial positions.

Fairfax Media warned in May when the Commerce Commission declined to clear its proposed merger with NZME that the decision would have an impact in regional newsrooms.

Two US private equity companies, TPG Capital and Hellman & Friedman, began conducting due diligence on Fairfax about two weeks ago, after they indicated they wanted to make offers for the trans-tasman publisher and its real estate listing offshoot Domain.

Boyle said feedback showed the Nelson Mail held an important place in the community, which wanted it to stick to covering local news.

‘‘I’m confident we have found a solution that will work for our readers, and the commercial benefits for our business are compelling,’’ he said.

Fairfax NZ’S other publications include Stuff, The Sunday Star-times, The Dominion Post and The Press.