From the mid-19th-century rivalry between the "New Zealander" and the "Southern Cross" to the 20th-century dominance of the "New Zealand Herald" and the "Auckland Star," the story of Auckland's newspapers is an engrossing battle of wits that reveals much about the history of the people and the press in New Zealand. This comprehensively researched narrative not only tells the story of Auckland's first newspapers, but also tackles larger questions. The newspaper wars of 19-century Auckland were life-or-death struggles, with the odds heavily in favor of death. This book tells the story of the newspapers, the editors, reporters, and owners who made them, and the readers who decided what was news and which papers would live or die.