NZ Newswire to close

Australian Associated Press will close its New Zealand Newswire (NZN) service on April 27 because it is unable to find enough customers to sustain the operation. NZN, with offices in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, was launched in 2011 to report on breaking news events around the country following the closure of the 132-year-old New Zealand Press Association. ‘‘This is a challenging and personally trying time for us,’’ AAP editor-in-chief Tony Gillies said. AAP will retain two fulltime journalists in the country to cover New Zealand events for Australian audiences. NZN, which currently employs 14 journalists, closed its local digital news video team in September 2017.