News just in: the New Zealand Herald is going to launch a Sunday edition, starting with the Auckland market.

For anyone who has enjoyed the multiplicity of broadsheet Sunday newspapers in Europe – with their comprehensive arts and review sections – this is joyful news indeed.

Compared to similar countries, New Zealand’s Sunday newspaper market is under-developed. For example, Sunday newspaper readership in New Zealand is half that of Australia.

According to Brendan Hopkins, Chief Executive of Herald owner APN,

While 6 out of 10 Aucklanders read a Saturday newspaper only 3 out of 10 read a Sunday title. This means that half of the people who read the Herald on Saturday do not read a Sunday newspaper. We believe this represents a significant gap in the market.

The Sunday edition will only be available in the greater Auckland area at first. Details of the launch date, format and content will follow ‘in due course’.