Printed every Wednesday, The West Coast Messenger is distributed from Karamea in the north to Haast in the south and as far east as Murchison.

Established as an independent six years ago, The Messenger was bought by the Greymouth Evening Star two years ago and merged with its existing weekly, The Coaster..

A tabloid, it carries a high percentage of colour and normally runs to 24 pages.

The focus is on softer news and local regional events.

The paper has editorial and advertising representation in Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika.