Bold, fun, original: The kaupapa behind Stuff's new look

Joanna Norris is the chief content officer for Stuff.

OPINION: Today, Stuff looks a little different, and we want to tell you why.

We are rolling out a new look because we want to be really clear about what we stand for.

Sure, companies do this a lot. They update their brand with new colours and logos – but for us, the changes you are seeing on Stuff today are about so much more.

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This is about the way we work and the role our independent journalism plays in New Zealand.

This month marks two years since our chief executive Sinead Boucher bought Stuff from its Australian owners. This was an important and gutsy moment for the company; it meant we could start to define our own path.

To be clear, our Aussie owners didn’t ever control or influence our journalism, but they did control our commercial strategy.

Now, we control our own fortunes, and this means we can shape our own strategic path, be resolute about the impact our independent journalism has, and keep strengthening the relationship we have with our readers, listeners and viewers right across the country.

This is also about the relationships Stuff as a wider business has with partners and our advertisers, who by doing business with the company help fund our journalism. These relationships are built on trust.

Stuff is New Zealand’s most-read news website, and we do not take this lightly. We are hungrier than ever before to keep bringing you the very best journalism, from our people on the ground in every province.

So yes, we do have a new logo and we love it. It speaks to some of the fun and playfulness that defined Stuff’s origins and really does represent the bold spirit of the company today in 2022. We think it’s fun and relevant to modern Aotearoa, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

What we can say is that it comes with an editorial promise that we will always bring you high-originality, high-integrity journalism that is accessible to all. We want to stoke people’s confidence to think for themselves. We want to share a unique, more progressive understanding of Aotearoa.

This means we are driving journalism that helps people build quality lives, that understands the way we live, is diverse and representative and fosters inclusion not division. Journalism that is locally relevant, helps us take better care of our environment, and importantly, sparks quality conversations.

Fake news, misinformation, disinformation and content designed to mislead sneaks into the lives of New Zealanders every day through the global tech platforms; it is the job of professional journalists with boots on the ground across Aotearoa to counter this insidious tide. We and our colleagues across the media industry take this extremely seriously. Following the truth takes courage.

From breaking news to long-form investigations and quality lifestyle reading, journalism matters. We will always break stories and shine a light. We will work harder than ever to hold the powerful to account. And we want you, our readers, listeners and viewers to hold us to account.

New colours and a logo tell just part of the story, our journalists tell the rest.