What we will and won't carry.

The short version

Morning Local is free to read because readers choose to support it and, in time, because a small number of local businesses sponsor it. Sponsorship is always labelled, never influences the news, and never involves handing over anything about you. This page sets out the rules.

What we accept

Businesses and organisations that are genuinely useful to people living in the city an edition serves: local services, venues, events, retailers, community organisations and the like. We take one sponsor per edition, and we review every sponsor before anything runs. We don't publish a rate card; enquiries go to the editor and are answered personally.

How sponsorship appears

A sponsor's message sits in its own clearly marked block, labelled as sponsored, in the sponsor's own words and visually separate from the news. It is never dressed up as a story, a tip or a recommendation from us. Where a reader might not otherwise realise something is paid for, we say so in plain words rather than relying on a small-print symbol.

What we decline

We turn down anything our readers would be right to be wary of: gambling and betting; payday and other high-cost lending; get-rich-quick, cryptocurrency and 'passive income' schemes; multi-level marketing; miracle cures and unproven health products; political parties, candidates and lobby groups; and anything that looks like a scam, however it is dressed. We also decline advertising that would breach the Advertising Standards Authority codes. The editor's decision is final and we don't argue about it.

Editorial independence

Sponsors never see a story before it is published, never choose or vet what we cover, and never get softer treatment because they pay. If a sponsor is in the news, we cover it the same way as anyone else. Our editorial policy has the detail.

Your information

We do not sell, rent or share subscriber details with sponsors or anyone else. Sponsors see audience statistics in aggregate — how many readers, how many opened — never individual names or addresses. See our privacy policy.

Affiliate links

Morning Local does not currently use affiliate links. If that changes, our editorial policy will say where they appear and how they are marked.

To enquire

Email the editor at nathan@morninglocal.co.nz with your business, the city you'd like to reach and roughly when. You'll get a reply from a person, usually within a business day.