The new Auckland Sunday newspaper, the Herald on Sunday, will launch on 3 October in a ‘compact’ format.

Editor Sue Chetwin (pictured) said the Herald on Sunday would have a main news and features section as well as a strong sports liftout and two magazines.

One would focus on people and lifestyle issues, with the other concentrating on entertainment, television and the arts.

According to publisher APN, the decision to avoid the traditional broadsheet was driven the international trend of large format, quality newspapers moving to a more convenient, user-friendly size.

A number of highly-respected overseas newspapers have converted to compact, including The Independent and The Times of London.

The new paper might be small, but we’re hoping there will be a substantial book section in there.