The Government has announced plans for a Newspaper Museum in Wellington.

Before the advent of the Internet, "newspapers" were used to spread information to large numbers of people.

They were printed on low quality paper and delivered by hand to peoples' homes, in a process taking hours.

The average newspaper cost around $1 each and contained hundreds of advertisements, pictures of sharks, rugby analysis, cartoons and an hotchpotch of other items classed as "news".

The $5 million museum will feature a realistic replica of a giant "press", once used to print newspapers.

It will also have a "subs bench", where specially trained people once checked the newspapers for mistakes!

New Zealand once had several newspapers, including the New Zealand Herald, the North Shore Advertiser and The Dominion Post.

Culture and Heritage Minister Judith Tizard said the museum would provide a valuable reminder of a bygone age.

"The morning newspaper is now only a distant memory for some of our old people, so it's important we remember how we once lived."

The museum will be located on a 2 ha block of land near Wellington's waterfront, where sufficient space has been set aside for the forthcoming Radio and Television museums.