The Sunday Star-Times
| Type | Sunday newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Fairfax |
| Editor | Jonathan Milne |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Political alignment | Centre-left |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Website | sundaystartimes.co.nz |
The Sunday Star-Times is a New Zealand newspaper published each weekend by the Fairfax group in Auckland. It covers both national and international news, and is a member of the New Zealand Press Association and Newspaper Publishers Association of New Zealand.
History
The Sunday Star-Times was first published in March 1994 after the merger of The Dominion Sunday Times and The Sunday Star.
The paper was edited by Cate Brett from 2003 until 2008 when she took up a post at the New Zealand Law Commission. She was replaced by Australian Mitchell Murphy who, in 2010, was promoted to the role of publisher for Fairfax Sundays and in 2012 to executive director of publishing.[1] In May 2010 David Kemeys was appointed editor, reporting directly to Murphy.
The paper is perceived to be centre-left,[citation needed] with a focus on providing an entertaining Sunday read with a mixture of news, features and celebrity gossip.
Regular contributors for the Sunday Star Times include Rosemary McLeod, Michael Laws, and Finlay MacDonald. Steve Braunias was a regular columnist for the Sunday magazine part of the newspaper, but was sacked in early 2011 for exchanging abusive emails with a Gisborne police prosecutor named Claire Stewart.[2]
Māori Party claims
In 2004 the paper published a front-page story claiming that the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service was spying on members of the newly formed Māori Party. The article was co-authored by Nicky Hager. A government inquiry led by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security later rejected these claims in April 2005, however and the paper had to publish a front page apology to its readers when a government investigation found it to be unsubstantiated.[citation needed]
