Lifestyle publisher records 7% growth.
Are Media New Zealand, the publisher behind Woman’s Day, NZ Woman’s Weekly, The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Listener, Kia Ora and Your Home & Garden, has had a stellar 2025.
The company clocked up impressive gains across readership, digital engagement and advertising performance.
“This year, Are Media continued its transformation into the leading omnichannel lifestyle publisher in New Zealand, driven by a strategic blend of editorial excellence and digital innovation,” said Stuart Dick, Are Media’s general manager.
According to Nielsen’s Q3 2025 figures, Are’s portfolio now reaches 1,935,000 readers – up 128,000 on the previous year. This represents a 7% growth rate.
Flagship titles NZ Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and The Australian Women’s Weekly NZ Edition – with a combined readership of 1,163,000 – now reach almost half of all primary household shoppers in NZ. Meanwhile, Kia Ora soared to 469,000 readers, its highest ever.
Digital performance has also been a standout. Are Media’s online platforms now attract over 1.5 million unique New Zealanders each month, delivering more than 37 million ad impressions to high-quality engaged audiences.
Are Media attributes this surge to high-quality local editorial content combined with global content from its new partnership with People Inc, the largest publisher in the US.
Ad spend surges
On the advertising front, the magazine channel has recorded a remarkable 47% increase in Standard Media Index (SMI) magazine advertising spend in 2025 for the year to date, a growth rate outpacing all other media formats.
“This growth underscores advertisers’ renewed confidence in the depth of engagement that trusted magazine brands can provide across both print and digital formats,” says Dick.
The company also made big strides in the use of shoppable content. By integrating commerce directly into editorial and advertising experiences, Are Media readers can seamlessly purchase products featured in articles, boosting advertisers’ return on investment.
In 2026, Are Media New Zealand is setting its sights on accelerating digital growth. Plans are under way to expand the company’s digital footprint through new content formats and platform enhancements, while also deepening audience engagement.
The company is also preparing to launch a first-party data platform that will empower advertisers to connect with consumers across New Zealand’s largest lifestyle network. It will employ rich audience insights to deliver personalised, measurable advertising experiences.
A major focus will be expanding programmatic advertising capabilities, introducing new audience segments for more precise targeting of key lifestyle categories and improved campaign performance.
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