Write Letters to the Editor to make your point
We can’t change the law but we can try to change public opinion. One way to achieve this is writing to newspapers, which usually have a section dedicated to this purpose:
Letters to the Editor
They are very powerful advocacy tools.
If you feel strongly about the injustice of the Direct Deduction Policy (DDP) or Spousal Provision (SP), put it in words and send it to your local newspaper. It helps to get your letter published if you refer to a specific news item, editorial or feature recently published on this topic. For example:
Was there an article about
These are excellent occasions to make your point. It doesn’t matter whether you are personally affected or just feel there is a glaring injustice.
How to write a Letter to the Editor
Editorial space is limited. To increase your chances of your letter getting published, you should follow some simple guidelines. We have put together “10 points to get printed” for you.
Finally: some newspapers state that they do not print letters you have also sent to other publications. (They are less picky with their articles that are printed word by word in different newspapers...) So if you discover the same article in different papers, and want to make your point in more than one, re-word your letter.
If you read newspapers or magazines from your home countries, consider writing letters to them as well. We have compiled a list of the major New Zealand newspapers and their emails for Letters to the Editor. Please contact us if any of these email addresses don’t work any longer so we can update them.
Contact list for Letters to the Editor
Upper North Island Whangarei - Northern Advocate Email: editor@northernadvocate.co.nz Kaitaia - Northland Age
Email: editor@northlandage.co.nz
Auckland - New Zealand Herald
Email: letters@nzherald.co.nz Auckland - Herald on Sunday
Email: editor@heraldonsunday.co.nz
Hamilton - Waikato Times
Email: editor@waikatotimes.co.nz Central North Island
Tauranga - Bay of Plenty Times
Email: editor@bopp.co.nz Rotorua - Rotorua Daily Post
Email: editor@dailypost.co.nz Hastings/Hawke’s Bay - Hawkes Bay Today
Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz Wanganui - Wanganui Chronicle
Email: letters@wanganuichronicle.co.nz New Plymouth - Taranaki Daily News
Email: editor@tnl.co.nz Lower North Island
Masterton/Wairarapa - Wairarapa Times-Age
Email: editor@age.co.nz Wellington - Dominion Post
Email: letters@dompost.co.nz Upper South Island
Nelson - Nelson Evening Mail
Email: editor@nelsonmail.co.nz Westport/Buller - Westport News
Email: editorial@westportnews.co.nz Greymouth - Greymouth Evening Star
Email: editor@greystar.co.nz Central and Lower South Island
Christchurch - The Press
Email: letters@press.co.nz Christchurch - The Star Canterbury Ashburton - The Ashburton Guardian
Email: enquiries@theguardian.co.nz Timaru - Timaru Herald
Email: editor@timaruherald.co.nz Dunedin - Otago Daily Times
Email: odt.editorial@alliedpress.co.nz Invercargill - Southland Times
Email: letters@stl.co.nz |
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