It’s a first for a New Zealand newspaper - nzherald.co.nz's new digital subscriptions have launched.

Digital subscriptions cost $5 a week - but as a special introductory offer subscribers will pay just $2.50 a week for the first eight weeks. An annual digital subscription is fixed at $199, representing a $61 saving across the year.

The companies five-, six- and seven-day NZ Herald and regional newspaper subscribers have automatic, free access to Premium. Those with weekend or part-week newspaper subscriptions receive a discount.

Print subscribers will receive emails in the next 24 hours explaining how to activate their subscription.

For new subscribers can sign up here.

The New Zealand Herald managing editor Shayne Currie told Mike Yardley that the website was initially launched in the late nineties as a side-project, back when most of the revenue came through print sales.

“As we know, the landscape changed exponentially, and we sent all of our content on there for free.” He says that the industry should have done this sooner.

Premium content editor Miriyana Alexander says that this an incredibly exciting day for journalism in New Zealand.

“I consider journalism to be an important part of our society and democracy, and it does take a lot of money to pay for good journalism.”

While much of our journalism, including breaking and 'commodity' news, will remain free on nzherald.co.nz, you'll be able to easily recognise a Premium story - it's tagged with a gold 'Premium' label.

Digital subscribers who click on a Premium story will have full access. Non-subscribers will receive the first 100 words free, before a prompt encourages you to sign up and subscribe.

Alexander says that the majority of the content will remain free, such as breaking news.

“What we’ve put behind our pay wall is what we consider our premium content, and we think that’s worth paying for.”

Premium articles will also feature heavily on the homepages of our business, politics, news, world, sport, lifestyle and entertainment sections and on each of our five regional newspaper websites - the Northern Advocate, Bay of Plenty Times, Rotorua Daily Post, Whanganui Chronicle, and Hawke's Bay Today.

As announced yesterday, the site has a line-up of international mastheads whose best journalism will feature strongly in our Premium menu - The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times (UK), The Daily Telegraph (UK), Financial Times, the Harvard Business Review, and The South China Morning Post.

To subscribe: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/my-account/subscription/offers/

nzherald.co.nz is owned by NZME, which also owns Newstalk ZB.