The Ensign is a regional newspaper based in Gore, New Zealand published on Wednesdays and Fridays by Allied Press Ltd.
The newspaper features coverage of local government, sports and recreation, arts and entertainment, education, farming and business news.
The Mataura Ensign began publication in Gore (in Southland) on 10 May 1878, operating out of a hut located beside the shop of Thomson and Beattie.
[2][3] Mackay, a Dunedin bookseller and maker of almanacs, was known as a "rag-planter", which was a New Zealand newspaper phenomenon which lasted until the early 1920 whereby enterprising entrepreneurs having identified a growing settlement, would bring in a printing plant and editor, publish several issues of their newspaper often offering cheap advertising rates and then advertise the business for lease or to sale (often to an existing rival).
[6] The paper's name was suggested by Mackay's local business partner/editor George Renner, after the Scottish newspaper the Northern Ensign.
[8] This was reflected in that ten of the twelve weekly pages of the early editions of The Mataura Ensign were directly sourced from the Bruce Herald with the other two being produced locally by George Renner.
They dispatched Ewen Greville Macpherson (1863- ) to the town to produce The Wyndham Farmer, which was published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, starting on 1 July 1895.
[11] Under the Dolamore's stewardship The Mataura Ensign retained a strong literary flavour, claiming amongst its staff the noted historian James Herries Beattie (1881-1972).
[12] From 1899 under the by-line of "Uncle Phil", William Gilchrist, headmaster of East Gore School, wrote a column for many years, those intention was to nurture the writing skills of children.
On 29 March 1913 For the first time in its history the newspaper was not published due to the impact of a flood which inundated the entire town.
As a result the newspaper's profitably declined due to the combination of small print runs and lack of advertising.
In 25 March 2020, The Ensign and other Allied Press community newspapers temporarily suspended publication to comply with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in New Zealand.
[17] By 14 May 2020, the Government had eased lockdown restrictions, allowing community newspapers and magazines including The Ensign to resume operations.