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The Yellow books are very well used throughout the country. There are many parts of the country and many demographics of people who either choose not to connect to the internet, or simply don’t have access or the capability. The physical books are still very much in use, not just for older demographics, but also in the regions, where they’re still a viable marketing platform for kiwi businesses. The books are one of the best ways to reach rural customers.

Diversity and Inclusion is important to us at Yellow and people are the beating heart that drives what we do, so it only makes sense that they’re the foundation for our values as a business and for how we operate. For us, it’s about ongoing demand and providing options. We're committed to delivering solutions that work for our customers, and we’ll continue to monitor how people are using Yellow books and adjust our strategy accordingly.

The Yellow Books are produced by a Kiwi business, Webstar, who have Toitu Envirocare Diamond certification and winner of the 2017 Green Ribbon Award for Waste Minimisation. Green Ribbon is a NZ Government award using DOC and Ministry for Environment criteria. The paper used for our books is made from 100% sustainable forestry products that promote the replanting of forests.

The great news is that our books are 100% recyclable.

We’re committed to delivering solutions that work for our customers, book users, and we’ll continue to monitor how people are using Yellow books. As part of this commitment we constantly explore more sustainable solutions and adjust our strategy accordingly.

Yes, our book is 100% recyclable!

Each year we work on evolving our book, always listening to feedback and looking for ways to optimise our operations, while continuing to reinvest and support our local communities.

As the needs of the community evolve, so does the Yellow Book, this evolution being reflected in the changes to this year's book. As a result of this you may find the Yellow Book looks a little different to what you’re used to.

New year, new book look!

As part of our continued dedication to sustainability and efficiency, the Yellow Book will look a little different from 2025 onwards. While the book may look different, the book still contains the same essential information and will continue to serve the community by connecting book users to businesses and essential services like government, hospitals and medical practitioners.

Q: What happened to the index?

A: Over the years our Yellow Books have changed and evolved, now looking very different to how they did 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. With a slimmer sleeker look, it’s much easier to navigate and find what you’re looking for in the Book. With this in mind, we’ve removed the index, so you can drive straight in.

Q: Why is the layout different?

A: To make the book even easier to navigate and for businesses to stand out on the page, we’re making a slight change to our page layout - going from 4 to 3 columns.

The result? Larger display and in-column text ads, offering more on page real estate and making it easier to be found.

Q: Why is the Coromandel Book thicker?

A: The Coromandel Book is going from 3 to 2 columns, while it may look a little different, it’s still the same book you know and love! While this makes it easier to navigate, this does mean the book is slightly thicker than previous years.

See above for more details.

Q: Why do the listings look different?

A: The changes to our listings are the result of our continued efforts to streamline our operations in the name of sustainability and efficiency, while continuing to serve the community that relies upon and needs the books.

With that in mind, things do look a little different, while we do our best to meet everyone’s needs, we appreciate we don’t always nail it - if you have any feedback around these changes let us know your thoughts so we can take it on board and continue to improve.

• Bold Name & Number Bundle As part of our changes you might have noticed your business name and number is bolded, this is a complimentary upgrade at no further cost to yourself.

• Captions There’s been a slight adjustment to our captions and how the information is ordered, while the order is different to what you’re used to, all business information is still grouped together.

• Font Type Yes, that’s right! For those eagle eyed page turners, you’ll have noticed a change to our font type - making it even easier to read and find the business you’re after.

Q: Why are the White Pages headings different?

A: In previous years, we’ve made changes to the book format to minimise paper use and environment impact, often resulting in a more slim and compact book. As a continuation of these efforts, we’re consolidating the White Pages subheadings, as well as localising free listings, meaning free listings will only appear in the region they operate or are based in.

Going forward listings will fall under 4 new headings - Government, Hospitals, Medical Practitioners & the region. Every listing will continue to include specific geographical information.

This change is the result of feedback from the community and careful consideration, evaluating use and environmental impact. And after trialling this change in a previous book, with minimal impact to book users, we’re now implementing this change across all books.

As search behaviour changes, our distribution model needs to evolve. We're adopting a smarter distribution approach; delivering to areas where people are more likely to use the book and reducing delivery in areas where people prefer our digital alternatives.

When determining these areas a number of factors are taken into account, such as access to the Internet and household demographic data, alongside feedback received from communities. People in areas excluded from initial delivery can still order a book free of charge. Businesses are still able to order a book on demand.

What does this mean?

Areas with high users will remain on the universal delivery option, whereas areas where users are more likely to use digital tools will move to an on-demand opt in delivery model. The goal is to deliver to where books are used and relied upon the most. Books are provided free of charge.

Yes, for the Wellington Central and Hawke's Bay Books AI imagery was accidentally used. We missed this in our review process and wouldn't have used it if we'd realised. We've updated our online book covers and have included extra checks around the use of AI imagery for future books.