Welcome Message - Managing Editor Peter Newport

The launch of the Crux website is the culmination of a great deal of teamwork and my own personal passion for journalism. My first job was at the tender age of 16 as a cadet reporter for the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin. Since then I've been lucky enough to have lived and worked all over the world being employed by some of the biggest names in media including Channels 9 and 10 Australia, the BBC and the Discovery Channel. Now Queenstown is my permanent home.

Crux Managing Editor Peter Newport

It's no secret that these are tough times for news media globally. The old business models are broken and no clear answers have yet emerged for how good, strong independent journalism is to be funded in the future. All we can do in the meantime is to keep experimenting and keep writing high quality content.

Communities have to be part of the answer. It is communities that benefit most from good local journalism and communities that suffer most when that journalism is lost or compromised.

My view is that Queenstown and Wanaka are already well on the way to becoming globally recognised centres of excellence on the social, business, creative and tourism fronts. Equally we are at risk of being lost in a frenzy of badly managed growth and commercial projects  that focus on short term gains without a strategic vision that includes the importance of our community and our environment.

Our hope is that Crux can play a role in delivering great outcomes for the district by giving everyone an equal voice and highlighting the issues that both divide and rally us. The solutions will come from you - our audience and therefore our ultimate owners and our future.