Anyone who has met her or heard her speak will be delighted with the news that Sinead Boucher has been able to buy New Zealand's Stuff newsmedia business.

It's a victory for passion, people and for that indefinable commodity 'girl-power' - if I'm even allowed to use the expression in this politically-correct age - and for commonsense on the part of those at Nine Entertainment who, for whatever reason, decided they didn't want the business themselves.

There's no suggestion that the dollar deal will be all 'dream ending' for the girl reporter who started her career in a branch office of the Christchurch Press. Challenges aplenty face the new publisher, but most have already confronted it as Boucher and her team planned out a route ahead, had the Australian commercial broadcaster been forced to retain an interest in something so unfashionable as newspapers.

No doubt it will still fall to her to make the unpopular decisions which face all print publishers at the moment... not least the possibility of the progressive withdrawal from print itself.

There is however, goodwill and determination to support the future.

Detail is scarce on the obligations which come with the NZ$1 acquisition. Stuff will rent the site of the Petone print centre - but no mention of the plant there, rejuvenated in 2015 with the installation of one of the manroland Geoman presses removed from former Tullamarine site of the The Age in Melbourne - or at all, of the print centre in Christchurch, which was survivor and refuge during the 2011 earthquake. Here, the site housing a Goss Uniliner 80 press - an identical twin of that installed in Ormiston (Qld) and since sold to News Corp for its new Truganina (Vic) print site - was understood to be subject of a sale-and-leaseback agreement. Much rationalisation of the former Fairfax New Zealand print operations has already taken place, and more been forced by the country's stringent COVID-19 restrictions.

Details of the Stuff acquisition deal are still emerging, but are understood to include as-yet unnamed backers and an ownership model that would give staff a stake in the business. The sale is expected to be completed by May 31, and follows Nine's fortuitous sale of Stuff Fibre to carrier Vocus a fortnight ago.

It's also been welcomed at government levels, with broadcasting minister Kris Faafoi approving the "plurality and competition" achieved and hinting that it could provide an environment for greater support of media.

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks said the broadcaster had always believed it was important for Stuff to be locally owned. "It is our firm view that this is the best outcome for competition and consumers in New Zealand." Commerce Commission approval is not thought to be required.

Sinead Boucher joined The Press as a journalist at its North Canterbury office - taking time out for a stint in London with the Financial Times and news agency Reuters. She returned to become the first digital editor of Stuff, growing it to become New Zealand's largest digital brand, and leading to the Fairfax NZ operation name change.In 2012 she was awarded the Wolfson Fellowship, New Zealand journalism's top individual prize. After four years as executive editor, she was appointed Stuff chief executive in August 2017, succeeding Simon Tong. Most recently, she has been in the news taking a 40 per cent pay cut herself while asking staff to volunteer for a temporary 15 per cent cut to help the company through the COVID-19 downturn.

In an interview with the website, she said it was "great to take control of our own future with the move to local ownership and the opportunity to build further on the trust of New Zealanders, who turn to us for local and national news and entertainment every day.

"Today is an important moment for Stuff as a business."

She was "really delighted" with the rapidly-agreed deal, which was signed at midnight last night.

"I've been with the business a long time in one way or another. I started out as a junior reporter and I really care a lot about what happens to it, so I never dreamed this would be a position I'd be in. I'm really thrilled to have this chance."

Stuff Ltd employs more journalists than any other New Zealand media outlet, and owns brands including stuff.co.nz, Neighbourly, The Dominion Post, The Press, the Waikato Times, the Sunday-Star Times, and TV Guide. Last week, Stuff - which was named among this year's top 20 Colmar Brunton Corporate Reputation Index - won 20 categories at the Voyager Media Awards.

Peter Coleman

Picture of Sinead Boucher courtesy Stuff