Ten years on and better than ever

Adecade is a long time in 21st century journalism, an age in the world of digital media, and a proud milestone for the Herald

on Sunday.

Today we enter double figures invigorated by the part we have played in the lives of our readers — as watchdogs, explainers, entertainers and companions — over the 520 weeks of our existence.

Our foremost thank you is to you, the 350,000 readers each week who have chosen to spend your Sundays here and have relied on us to inform and engage with you on what is really going on in this country. We do our best to ask the questions you want answered and ensure the responses are straight and meaningful; to reflect what is on society’s mind; and to help you make the most of the opportunities and joys of living in New Zealand. Since launch in October 2004, the Herald

on Sunday has aimed to be different. Our compact format and punchy, daring journalism set us apart from the competition and saw us consistently grow to be the clear Number 1 Sunday newspaper in Auckland and the North Island. Your support has made us the best-performing paper, nationwide, in sales growth. This paper has twice been the Newspaper of the Year and last year was named best Sunday paper in Asia-Pacific.

The country is much changed from a decade ago. As we report today, Facebook had only just been launched, few could pronounce quinoa and people still bought CDs. Helen Clark was in her prime and George W. Bush was Time Magazine’s Man of the Year. The paper has changed, too. We have upgraded our design and content and refined the areas we cover to match what readers want on the one day there is time to sit back and catch up.

The Herald on Sunday aims to be a seriously good newspaper that doesn’t take itself too seriously. At heart, we remain young and vibrant, alive to Sunday’s particular rhythm and determined to bring a lighter touch to a day of leisure.

“Names make news” is a phrase long held in good newsrooms. We have charted the ups and downs of celebrity New Zealanders, of the rich and powerful, the good, bad and beautiful because readers remain fascinated by their fellow Kiwis, and particularly by those on the way up. Sport is, and always has been, a critical part of your weekend, and therefore ours. The successes and failures of our sports teams can change the public mood, the way we feel about ourselves as a small country battling for recognition.

Most of all, the Herald on Sunday aims to surprise, delight and inform. And the more things change, the more that goal will stay the same.