New England Times is an independent news site based in Armidale and Inverell, NSW, Australia.
The origins of the New England Times came out of research done by parent company KORE Communication Strategy Research (KORE CSR).
The research into the health of the Armidale and surrounding communities found people in the New England area felt they had lost quality local media, with their local papers being stripped back and put behind paywalls, and their local radio stations neglected and networked. Additionally, people in the New England felt they were excluded from the national debate, used as a punchline by too many in cities and the long history of New Englanders as thought leaders had been lost.
So, we decided to launch this digital news outlet and give the New England back her voice.
Started in 2022 and formally launched as a daily news service in February 2023, we have made a significant impact with our reporting being picked up in major media outlets and creating real and significant change in our region. We are also a finalist in the Australian Women’s Small Business Championship Awards, the Business New England North West regional awards, and received a significant Walkley Meta Grant in February 2023.
We are part of a movement of hyper-local digital news outlets springing up across the country to fill the gap left by big media abandoning regional areas. We are a member of LINA – the Local Independent News Association – which is a body of similar hyper-local publishers who agree to adhere to high editorial standards, and a member of the Australian Press Council.
Our coverage area is the 12 local government areas of the New England (sometimes called the New England/North West), from the Liverpool Plains, Tamworth and Walcha in the south, to Tenterfield, Inverell, Gwydir and the Moree Plains in the north, incorporating Narrabri and Gunnedah to the west, and Uralla, Armidale and Glen Innes to the East. The area is home to over 185,000 people.
The team behind the New England Times includes KORE CSR, another great Armidale company Vivid Thinking, and a number of experienced journalists and editors.
If you would like more information about New England Times please email editor@netimes.com.au.