Six generations of the extended Smith family have made their careers and their fortunes in the media industry. The South Island dynasty started with George Bell, who arrived in New Zealand from England during the Otago gold rush and got a job writing editorials for the Otago Daily Times. A century-and-a-half later, his great-great-grandsons, Sir Julian Smith and brother Nick, remain in Dunedin and oversee a media empire that has remained remarkably resilient in the face of disruptive trends that have battered its rivals.
Sir Julian, 73, handed over the reins of Allied Press to Grant McKenzie in 2016 but remains chairman of the board. Nick remains a director.
The company owns New Zealand’s last independent metropolitan newspaper, the Otago Daily Times, as well as a growing stable of farming and community newspapers.
This year it acquired Clutha's 124-year-old community newspaper, The Clutha Leader, from Stuff.
Allied also has a local TV channel, and majority interests in the Greymouth Evening Star and classified website Post a Note.
Nick’s daughter, Charlotte Smulders, is a shareholder in the company that owns Allied Press but has also forged her own media career. She and her husband, Pier Smulders, own Christchurch-based Star Media.
In 2013, they bought the South Island businesses of APN, including The Star, The Oamaru Mail, and a stable of community papers. They also own several trade publications and magazines, including Kiwi Gardener and Rugby News, as well as local events City2Surf, The Star Home & Leisure Show and With This Ring Bridal Show.
Under their ownership, Canterbury TV station CTV has morphed into Star Live, a local live-streamed television channel.
The family is a strong supporter of local organisations and charities, particularly those that have a focus on young people and children.