NZ-based start-up, Locally Informed (locallyinformed.co.nz), brings to New Zealand a new way to uncover the local news and local knowledge that matters most to people in their communities.  And, perhaps most importantly, a new way to solve the challenges and tasks each of us face every day, through its Solution Marketplace, by leveraging the power of Crowdsourcing and creating incentive-based participation through the use of Locally Informed Credits.

“From the get-go, Locally Informed presents two compelling opportunities for everyone in New Zealand to earn extra income and become more locally aware and connected” says Shane Redlick, co-founder and director of Locally Informed. 

Stepping beyond the boundaries of traditional news publishing, Locally Informed searches and organises news and local knowledge from hundreds of sources on the internet into one place, all continuously updated.  Additionally, readers enhance existing news and information by contributing their own photos and discussions. They also contribute their own stories and local knowledge as citizen journalists.

“If it’s online and has something to do with your neighbourhood, city or region, our aim is to provide access to it”, says Shane.

Prior to Locally Informed, Shane was behind the Canadian publishing start-up Opinion250 News Inc, based in Northern British Columbia (www.opinion250.com).  

“Locally Informed draws on the experiences of Opinion250”, says Shane, “providing the openness, access to information and sense of community we created back in Canada”.

Andrew Ross, co-founder and director, got behind Locally Informed early last year, after the sale of his Napier-based software firm, to US-based SolarWinds (www.solarwinds.com) (NYSE: SWI).