Ruapehu Bulletin

The last issue of the Waimarino Bulletin was published on 14 February 1989. In the next issue of the free weekly newspaper, readers were informed they were now reading the Ruapehu Bulletin. 'We feel the title Ruapehu Bulletin more accurately reflects the region we serve' said publisher John Woods. 'Of course our weekly newspaper will continue to function as the voice of the wider Ruapehu region including the Waimarino district.' (21 February 1989: 1)

In part this name change was due to the imminent launch of a competitor, the Ruapehu Press, based in Taumarunui. As well, changes to the local councils had shifted the newspaper’s focus to the wider region. The Ruapehu District Council was formed in 1989 from an amalgamation of three local councils, including Waimarino. The new council’s headquarters were established in Taumarunui, and the Bulletin decided to widen its scope to provide full coverage of the new council’s decisions. While this was a change from the original aims of the paper, the Bulletin continued to be published from Ohakune and printed in Whanganui.

Woods, who purchased the Bulletin in 1988, had been involved in a number of other magazines and journals, first with the Thames Star, where he started in 1970 and then returned to as editor in 1978. He established Hauraki Publishers in 1979 and launched the free Hauraki Herald. Later, in the early 1980s he’d purchased the Huntly Press, Te Puke Times and the Bay Sun. He’d then moved to Ohakune with the aim of reviving his recent purchase, the New Zealand Adventure magazine. In 1988 he also started up New Zealand Geographic.

Soon after the Bulletin's change of name, Woods was declared bankrupt and his magazines were sold. However, the receivers allowed the Ruapehu Bulletin to continue, and all the existing staff retained their jobs.

Plans to print six special issues of Ruapehu 89 during the ski season also went ahead. The special issues were a continuation from Ruapehu ’88 published under the Waimarino Bulletin masthead. In total these special issues ran for five years, from 1988-1992 and were joined by Summertime Ruapehu in 1990, a promotional issue that covered the Christmas and New Year period.

The receivership ended in February 1990 and ownership of the Bulletin passed to Auckland company Midweek Marketing. Robert Milne, who had started working at the paper as a darkroom technician in 1984, moved into production, and then had become the editor in 1987, was named managing editor.

Midweek Marketing retained the Bulletin for less than a year, selling it in December 1990 to Ruapehu Media, a company set up by Milne and his wife, Marie. Milne said in his first issue as owner that his aim was to make 'a good community newspaper into the best little newspaper in the country.' (4 December 1990: 1)

In 1994, the Milnes developed the idea of seasonal specials further by launching the Ruapehu Snow Bulletin and the Ruapehu Summertime Bulletin. As of 2025 the Ruapehu Bulletin was still owned and published by Ruapehu Media and Milne remained the publishing editor.