Fairfax Media NZ has put its Hamilton offices and print site on the market ahead of plans for a new greenfield plant in Auckland.
The move in the next two years will bring to an end 138 years of production of the 42,000-circulation daily Waikato Times – first published in Ngaruawahia in 1872 – in the city.
Fairfax has announced plans to move one of the three manroland Geoman presses from its The Age Print Centre in Melbourne – which is set to close next year – to anchor the new Auckland plant, together with equipment from Chullora, Sydney, which is also being closed.
Plant at the site includes a manroland Uniman press and Ferag mailroom including inline inserting.
Real estate agent Bayleys are offering the 3.3 ha site in Foreman Rd, Te Rapa, by tender with expectations of $2-3 million. Fairfax plans to lease the administration offices, press room and paper store for three years at $350,000 net a year, but wants the right to vacate as early as April 2015.
The property includes a seven-metre stud warehouse, a building containing the press and an office building, which what agents describe as an underground rail system between the press building and store.