Developed over several months with the help of external developer Jeremy Warne, the redesign has a more modern look which will be familiar to many readers of online news, says Rural News online editor Emily Gordon.
Changes to the site include a single home page that combines stories from the company’s three major publications Rural News, Dairy News and New Zealand Winegrower, Gordon says.
“In its previous version, the publications each operated as individual sub-sites, with little crossover between them. However, while the new site has maintained this division to some extent, visitors can now also choose to access the latest content in one central place, making browsing easier.
“Other improvements include the addition of sections not previously available online such as sidebars dedicated to the Rural News ‘Hound’, and the Dairy News ‘Milking It’ columns.”
The new site also has an events calendar for the rural community. The calendar is located on each page of the site down the right side, informing about upcoming conferences, field days and other events nationwide.
People wishing to list their rural events on the website can email details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For advertisers, there are some improvements too, with several more ad spaces now available and a single location in which to download media-kits.
