Kiwi owned, female-founded Capsule turns five: announces new fund to support NZ writers
Five years after launching one of New Zealand’s most refreshing, relatable and exciting new digital media platforms for Kiwi women, Capsule is celebrating its fifth birthday with record growth, a striking updated look, fresh new strategy and huge excitement for the future of the platform with the announcement of a new fund for NZ writers and journalists.
Kelly Meharg (née Bertrand) and Alice Hampson (née O’Connell), owners and co-founders of Capsule, are excited to mark this huge milestone for the brand, one that has grown to almost 80,000 page views per month, more than 20,000 Instagram followers and an incredibly loyal newsletter community, which delivers a regular open rate of 50%.
In their five years of publishing, Capsule has consistently and determinately covered the stories and issues that matter the most to New Zealand women, with a strong focus on all facets of women’s health, wellbeing, career and the unique challenges of motherhood – plus daily doses of lifestyle content and of course, our famous diaries series (including The Divorce Diaries), which tell the more shocking – but relatable! – stories of Kiwi women.
Says Alice, Capsule’s Head of Content: “When we started Capsule, we were really just writing for each other. We were in lockdown, writing the kinds of stories that we wanted to read about. At first it came as a bit of a surprise to see those stories resonating with a rapidly growing circle of people. We soon realised we had something quite special on our hands. Now, we have a large community of women (and a few men!) who come to Capsule for that sincerity, compassion, credibility and heart that we bake into all of our stories. We tell the stories that connect women; that make them feel less alone, that lift them up and bring attention to the issues that really matter.”
Along with Alice and Kelly, Capsule’s staff has grown to include Wellington-based features writer, award-winning journalist Sarah Lang, and new hire, journalist and content creator Vivien Beduya, who comes to Capsule from Re: News. Co-founder Emma Clifton, who has recently stepped away from ownership of the business to embark on a new career in book publishing, also continues to be part of the Capsule whānau.
“We’ve had incredible success in the last year with stories that get to the heart of what it means to be a woman in New Zealand and the challenges we face,” says Alice. “Our ongoing series on
The Motherhood Penalty was an instant hit with our readers and continues to drive conversation. We proudly led the conversation around the need for creating laws against stalking. We’ve had similar success discussing everything from fertility, baby-loss, perinatal mental health, pay equity, burnout and divorce. Many of our stories are reader-driven. It’s thanks to input from our audience who bravely and generously share their experiences, which we then pair with expert commentary and discussion, to create content that really makes a difference.
“In 2025 you can expect us to concentrate on giving a platform to more of those unique female experiences, issues and challenges (including perimenopause and menopause), whilst of course, also delivering hits of pop culture, fun zeitgeist moments and whimsy. We’ll continue to tell these stories through traditional stories on our site, but will also be expanding into new formats to deliver content to our readers, including an increased focus on video.”
In what is an undeniably challenging time for local media, Capsule is delighted to have not only grown in both readership but in commercial viability, thanks to long-lasting and enduring partnerships with some of New Zealand’s best brands. Capsule has welcomed back Toyota, Shark/Ninja, Caci, The Warehouse Group, Samsung and Resene as major returning clients, who have put their faith in Capsule to tell their brand stories over multiple years.
Says Kelly, Head of Commercial: “Without advertorial support, Capsule simply would not exist. We are incredibly proud of the relationships we’ve built with our commercial partners and their incredible support, and faith that we’re representing their brands in a way that works for not only themselves, but our readers and followers.
“The best thing about our amazing family of partners is that they all understand the most important people in this equation are our readers, and we pride ourselves on working with them to craft stories and series that we know will tell stories that are of huge value to our audience. More than 90% of our revenue comes from integrated content and we pride ourselves on being able to balance commercial realities with editorial integrity.”
The past five years has seen Capsule go from strength to strength from its humble origins, deep in the first stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when former magazine editors and writers Alice, Kelly, Emma were all made redundant when Bauer Media closed its doors suddenly in April 2020. Since then, Capsule has grown from nothing to a powerhouse media brand, and has staked its claim as the place Kiwi women turn to when they want to feel seen, heard, appreciated and understood.
Since its inception, Capsule has maintained its independence and remained 100% solely owned by its co-founders. “Independent media isn’t just possible – it’s powerful,” says Kelly. “While we’re a smaller organisation, we certainly are not niche – because women are not niche. We have so many stories to tell, and we’re privileged to be the space and voice to do so. Being independent means we answer only to our readers and we feel this is an important and nonnegotiable part of Capsule’s DNA, even if that makes life a little more challenging every now and then!”
And to celebrate their milestone birthday, Capsule today is thrilled to be announcing a new initiative aimed at further improving and enhancing their ability to tell a wide range of diverse stories that matter to New Zealand women. Today marks the launch of the new CAPSULE COLLECTIVE – a fund dedicated to supporting Kiwi freelance writers and providing a platform for the issues and stories that need to be told.
With a dedicated fund available, writers can pitch their stories, series or projects, enabling more diverse, creative and interesting viewpoints to be seen, heard and told.
Says Alice, “I’ve watched this industry shrink for the entire 23 years I’ve been in it. Kelly and I both know how devastating and demoralising it is to lose your job, or to have to rally yourself for yet another restructure when your nerves have only just got over the last one. As a result, we’re continuing to lose so many talented and wonderful writers from this industry. Kelly and I are passionate about telling women’s stories and having trusted, credible journalists working alongside us. We’re hoping our fund will be a lifeline to those who are now embarking on freelance careers, or can help talented writers keep a foot in this industry. We’d love to hear your pitches.”
Capsule itself will be making an initial $10,000 into the Collective’s fund, and we are seeking commercial sponsorship to grow this amount further to support the local media industry.
Says Kelly, “We refuse to accept any diminishing of the female voice in Aotearoa. While we ourselves have contributed to this fund, we are also looking for brands who are equally invested in the local media industry to come on board to help us tell these stories. At Capsule, we are firm believers in the beauty of collaboration, as well as the idea that a high tide rises all boats – and we’re up for doing things a little bit differently to ensure we’re at the forefront of positive change within the industry. If you are interested in being part of this journey, please do get in touch – our contact details are below!”
capsulenz.com
@capsule_nz
Pictured (L-R): Alice Hampson (née O’Connell), Kelly Meharg (née Bertrand)