In 1789, Benjamin Franklin immortalised the phrase “… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. If he was alive today, he might have added ‘change’ to the list of certainties facing us.

The Methodist Publishing Board met recently to determine options for the future of Touchstone. Rising production and distribution costs mean it is no longer sustainable to print and post papers to parishes and individuals, free-of-charge.

Over recent months we have encouraged parishes to reduce the number of Touchstone copies they receive and to direct their readers towards the online options available. Despite the reduction in the monthly print run, printing and distribution costs cannot be covered by reserves indefinitely.

It is proposed that from July 2023, parishes will be charged $1.50 per printed copy of Touchstone.

We invite parishes and individuals to respond to an online survey seeking feedback on five options proposed:

1. Discontinue publication of Touchstone

2. Offer Touchstone online only - no printed copies

3. Reduce number of issues to 6 per annum

4. Status quo – 11 issues per annum @ $1.50 per copy for printed papers

5. Hybrid of 5 electronic and 6 printed issues ($1.50 per printed copy)

A link to the survey can be found on our website: www.methodist.org.nz/whakapapa/news/touchstone/

We welcome responses by the end of this month. The Publishing Board will base its decision on the survey results and announce a decision by the end of August 2022.