35 years big - New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa is changing

New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa was a ground breaker when it appeared in GP surgeries in 1989. A large A3 format newspaper delivered free every fortnight to practices countrywide, its front page covered the top news stories of the day for general practice.

It was big in ambition, big in thinking and big in size.

In 1995, when our website nzdoctor.co.nz sprang into life, it was also a pioneer – one of the first websites providing daily news in New Zealand. It wasn’t easy – broadband was yet to appear and online rang with the buzz of modems.

In 2010, we introduced a cover image, giving even greater prominence to the stories that mattered to general practice and primary care.

In early 2019, Rata Aotearoa was added to our masthead, not only in recognition of the Treaty partnership that underpins our country but also as a reminder of the push for equity in healthcare.

This year, we are taking the lead again.

Our experienced team of award-winning journalists, designers and sales folk have gone back to the drawing board to rethink our products, to ensure we remain sustainable so we can continue to provide the big picture for primary care.

From November, we are refining our news and education offerings.

Our newspaper will become a MONTHLY newsmagazine, a more leisurely read with news analysis, profiles, features and commentary and our high-quality education offerings – Practice and How to treat – in our Educate section.

DAILY news will continue to flow from our website, nzdoctor.co.nz, along with topical opinion and education.

Our email newsletter Daily Triage, your daily online news update, will be joined by additional email newsletters to help keep the sector up to date with news that matters.

It is our mission to continue delivering high-quality, independent news, views and education to our subscribers.

We have loved delivering our large format newspaper, but the future is more compact, easier to deliver, easier to file and easier to read.

We truly value your ongoing support for our endeavour. Thanks to you all.

Ngā mihi,

Barbara Fountain
Editor