• Stuff.co.nz , Monday, December 17, 2007 12:45 PM

New Zealand's Yellow Pages Group turned down a deal with Google to have its business listings included in Google Maps last year -- and now the search giant has inked a deal with smaller IYP firm apnfinda Limited.

But Yellow Pages is "reasonably relaxed" about Google's position as a competitor in terms of the local search and mapping market in New Zealand -- since the company believes that its listings are more comprehensive than apnfinda's (which launched as a merger between APN Infomedia and finda Group in March).

According to Tom Pullar-Strecker, Yellow Pages has a definite advantage when it comes to depth of business listings, and more accuracy in terms of driving directions. But given the range of features packed into Google Maps, and the relative openness of New Zealand's local search market, the incumbent Yellow Pages may have quite a fight on its hands now that Google has aligned with another company.

Read the whole story at Stuff.co.nz »