Dish is No1 paid-for magazine in NZ – Roy Morgan

Dish magazine is claiming the title of No1 paid-for magazine in Aotearoa, after the latest Roy Morgan readership results.

The magazine is also celebrating significant growth in its cross-platform audience, with rises in print and digital readership. Dish editor and CEO Sarah Tuck says the team were “whooping with delight” when the news came through.

The results, out on March 10, show readership figures for newspapers and magazines in Aotearoa from the last 12 months.

Dish magazine’s cross-platform audience rose by 20.9% to 226,000 across print, web or app. This makes it the second-most read magazine in the country, after membership magazine AA Directions.

AA Directions is a free, quarterly magazine distributed by the Automobile Association. Its cross-platform readership was recorded as 509,000 – up 37,000 from December 2024.

“It’s really pleasing that AA Directions is still New Zealand’s most-read magazine. It helps that our readers are loyal AA members who appreciate receiving a physical magazine. And while we do deliver a digital experience, it’s print that really delivers the magic,” says Kath Webster, AA Directions editor.

Both magazines are published by independent printing and publishing company SCG.

‘Results validate the strategy’

Tuck says the Dish team were overjoyed by the news.

“The latest Roy Morgan total cross-platform audience results validate the strategy we have been working on for the last several years,” she says.

“While we are No2 overall behind AA Directions, Dish is in fact the No1 paid-for title in New Zealand for cross-platform performance. We saw increases across both print and digital results, so it’s not a matter of relying on just digital for the uptick – we are growing across all channels.

“I’m hugely grateful to my amazing team for maintaining focus on our audience, wherever they may be interacting with Dish. And a special shout out to digital editor Phoebe Holden, who has done an amazing job in this space.

“After six years of consistent growth you’d think we’d be starting to peak, but I reckon we’re just getting started,” says Tuck.

Dave Atkins, co-managing director of Dish publisher SCG, says the December figures were “fantastic results” for the hardworking, super-talented Dish team lead by Sarah Tuck.

“We’ve seen consistent and genuine growth over the past three years. Dish is selling 53% more magazines at retail compared to 2021,” he says.

Strong couple of years

The results reflect a strong couple of years for the magazine, which celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2024.

In 2025 alone, the team launched a new cookbook, Fast Two, a sequel to the successful Fast book. Roy Morgan figures in August showed a cross-platform audience increase of 50%. This put Dish in third place, with AA Directions and the Listener in first and second.

That same month, the magazine entered supermarkets in Australia, which Tuck celebrated by appearing on Channel 7’s breakfast show, Sunrise.

Then, the festive celebrations started early, as the Christmas magazine’s first week of sales increased by 41%.

These results though haven’t happened by accident. They are the result of six years of strategy and hard work from the “amazing team”, Tuck told StopPress. The Dish team hold two to three strategy sessions a year.

“Each year we plan our growth and how we’re going to get there,” says Tuck.

Magazines reach millions

Roy Morgan reported several titles having double-digit growth.

“By far the most widely read magazine in New Zealand is AA Directions, the quarterly magazine from Automobile Association with a print readership of 388,000 and a cross-platform audience of over half-a-million – 509,000, following an increase of 37,000 (+7.8%) on a year ago,” says Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine.

“In second place is the bi-monthly Dish with a print readership of 114,000, and a total cross-platform audience of 226,000 after an increase of 39,000 (+20.9%) on a year ago. And in third place is Fish & Game NZ with a print readership of 130,000, and a cross-platform audience of 208,000 following an increase of 37,000 (+21.6%) on a year ago.

“Magazines and newspapers continue to reach audiences of millions of New Zealanders, which is a valuable asset for these traditional media channels in an increasingly fragmented and competitive media landscape.

“Overall, these results are a firm vindication of the growth strategies pursued by New Zealand’s leading magazine and newspaper proprietors.”

Roy Morgan results: New Zealand’s top 10 magazines

Total cross-platform audience (print & online) Dec 2024 & Dec 2025

*Cross-platform audience is the number of New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual magazine content via print or online. Print is average issue readership. Digital is average website visitation and app usage (if available) in last 7 days for weekly titles (New Idea, New Zealand Listener, NZ Woman’s Day, NZ Woman’s Weekly, Property Press, That’s Life, Time, TV Guide) and last 4 weeks for all other non-weekly titles.

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