RNZ snags Voyager Media Awards wins for journalism, digital innovation

RNZ has taken out two prestigious honours at the annual Voyager Media Awards.

The awards – held this year in Auckland – recognise New Zealand’s best journalism, with categories for reporting, photography, digital and video.

RNZ’s Guyon Espiner, Farah Hancock, John Hartevelt, Cole Eastham-Farrelly and Hingyi Khong won Best Innovation in Digital Storytelling for their series The Interview.

The team trawled through nine months of interviews with the Labour and National leaders to analyse what their language said about their priorities and obsessions.

It was an “outstanding entry involving serious data wrangling and multimedia production to tell a new story with wit and credibility”, the judges said.

“A great example of data translating into an accessible, immersive experience, driving audience engagement.”

Longform journalist te ao Māori Ella Stewart took out the prize for Best Up and Coming Journalist.

The judges said they were impressed with her “compelling storytelling, the diversity of her body of work, depth of analysis of her chosen topics, and the breadth and balance of voices she included”.

Her work was both timely and informative, they said.

RNZ’s climate change correspondent Eloise Gibson took out the award for Business Journalist of the Year for her work both with RNZ and her previous employer, Stuff.

In total, RNZ had seven finalists across all the awards categories.

TVNZ’s Fair Go – which was shuttered this autumn as part of wide-ranging cuts at the broadcaster – picked up the award for Best Editorial Campaign or Project.

Hawkes Bay Today won the coveted Newspaper of the Year award, with the judges saluting its coverage of Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact on its community.

The Media Awards have celebrated excellence in New Zealand journalism since 1973. Voyager Internet has been the premier sponsor since 2018.

The awards are managed and promoted by the News Publishers’ Association which champions the news media industry of New Zealand.

More on this year’s winners can be found on the News Publishers’ Association website.