AGENDA ITEM 2.13
PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM FUND
FUNDING DECISIONS
RECOMMENDATION
That the Staff Investment Committee approves funding up to:
Funding
Applicant
Roles Timeframe
Subject to
Recommended
$189,660
School Road
1
Two years
Publishing for
Woman
magazine
$273,600
SunPix Ltd for
2
Two years
TP+
$150,148
Local Matters
1
Two years
2005 Ltd for
nine local print
publications
and various
digital news
platforms
$151,200
Crux
1
Two years
Publishing Ltd
for Crux
$427,800
The Spinoff for 2
Two years
The Spinoff
$150,000
Ashburton
1
Two years
Guardian
Company for
The Ashburton
Guardian
$31,200
Central App
1
One year
for The Central
App
$230,000
North & South 1
Two years
Ltd for North
under the Official Information Act
& South
magazine
$528,316
Newsroom Ltd 5
Two years
for Newsroom
$711,797
Allied Press
4
Two years
Ltd for The
Released
Otago Daily
Times and
other Allied
Press
properties
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$127,096
Valley Media
1
Two years
for The Valley
Profile
community
newspaper
$183,240
The Gisborne
1
Two years
Herald Co for
The Gisborne
Herald
$47,600
Metro Media
1
Two years
Group Ltd for
(part-
Metro
time)
magazine
$650,000
Mana Trust for 4
Two years
E-Tangata
$705,000
Kiwi Media
4
Two years
Publishing for
The Indian
Weekender
$275,000
National
4
One year
Pacific Radio
Trust for the
Pacific Media
Network
$206,000
Television New 2
One year
Zealand for
TVNZ
$176,200
Te Reo Irirangi 1
Two years
o Te Hiku o Te
Ika for Te Hiku
Radio
$105,000
Very Nice
1
One year
Productions
for NZME and
the Wairarapa
Times-Age
websites
$774,000
UMA
6.5
One year
Broadcasting
for Radio
Waatea
$695,560
Discovery NZ
3
Two years
a revised and detailed budget, provision of signed
for Newshub
under the Official Information Act
and declines funding of:
see Annex A for a list of shortlisted proposals recommended for decline at full proposal stage.
21 shortlisted applications recommended for total funding of up to $6,788,417.
shortlisted applications recommended for decline seeking total funding of
BACKGROUND
Released
In January 2021 Cabinet agreed to draw down $55 million over three years (2021 - 2023) from the tagged contingency
set aside by Cabinet for broadcasting initiatives. This funding will be administered by NZ On Air to support the
production of public interest journalism including Māori and Iwi journalism that is relevant to and valued by New
Zealanders.
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1. General Guidelines for the PIJF were published in April 2021. The principles set out in the Cabinet paper have
informed the design of the Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF). NZ On Air collaborated with Te Māngai Pāho
on the design and delivery of the fund.
2. The PIJF is structured to support journalistic capability across three funding pillars: Projects, Roles and Industry
Development.
ROUND OVERVIEW
3. This second round of the PIJF sought applications to the Roles pillar of the fund only.
4. See Annex B for a list of all PIJF: Roles Development applications submitted over the two-stage process.
5. Role-based funding addresses one of the most fundamental issues facing the sector by seeking to redress the
large reduction within the local journalism workforce in recent years.
6. The guidelines for the round outlined the assessment criteria and funding priorities to applicants including:
a. This funding is intended to assist media entities cover areas of public interest journalism that have
become increasingly at-risk due to lack of staff.
b. This funding is not intended to cover current positions or general news positions (unless in
exceptional circumstances.) In cases where loss of staff is demonstrably imminent, non-incremental
roles may be funded. In this instance, applicants must be prepared to provide financial information
(including potentially commercial sensitive information) on a confidential basis to be reviewed by
an appropriate independent assessor.
c. The intent of this fund is to increase the quantity and quality of public interest journalism. Qualifying
criteria for a funded role are:
i. Produces content within an agreed reporting subject scope (aligned to the General
Guidelines)
ii. Accredited to the PIJF
iii. Included in PIJF metrics reporting
iv. PIJF roles will not be permitted to contribute to general reporting unless this is within the
subject scope and credited.
v. Content must be freely accessible and, if behind a paywall or in a magazine with a cover
price, funded content must also be available free of charge online as close to simultaneously
as possible.
vi. Content output expectations for the role should be established which can be monitored
and reviewed.
under the Official Information Act
7. The assessment panel included:
Released
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Raewyn Rasch (Ngāi Tahu) - NZ On Air Head of Journalism. Former General Manager Māori and
Pacific programmes at TVNZ, executive producer of Seven Sharp, producer of Fair Go and Marae
Investigates, TV and radio journalist.
8. Conflicts of Interests (COI) are outlined as below. In this instance, the assessor did not assess these
applications, and were not involved in the funding decisions for these applications.
.
did not assess this application.
did not assess any applications from
9. Additional external assessors were commissioned to undertake further assessment;
10. Applicants were asked to submit initial five-page proposals by 22 July that outlined the number, type and cost of
all roles they wanted to apply for.
11. Applicants could apply for up to two years’ worth of funding for a role (subject to performance review monitoring
at key stages to ensure targets are being met before a second year of funding is renewed) to acknowledge the
challenges of recruitment and retention of experienced staff.
12. A total of applicants applied for
roles to a total value of
13. Given the large funding request, the assessment panel sought to prioritise roles to those areas of public interest
journalism most affected by retrenchment: those of regional and local news which have faced the most attrition
over recent years and to Māori, Pacific and Asian reporting where lack of equity and increased demand remains
a critical issue.
14. Assessors met on
applicants were invited to submit full proposals by 17 August.
15. submissions for
roles with a total funding request of
were submitted for final assessment.
16. applications were seeking under $1m and
, although requesting more than $1M has been recommended
for less than $1M and al are included in this paper.
applications sought over $1m and are in front of the
Board for consideration.
17. Staff is conscious of the distortionary impact that such a significant level of funding could have on the market
under the Official Information Act
and the potential for a ‘talent-poaching war’ to occur if PIJF salary rates inflate market rates arbitrarily. To
mitigate this and contextualise how the broad range of PIJF salary funding requests align with industry pay
rates, staff calculated the average full-time base salaries (minus Kiwisaver, sick pay, etc.) across bands (junior,
intermediate, and senior) for all roles submitted to full proposal stage. Staff then compared the resulting ‘mid-
points’ to industry-standard journalism base-pay rates sourced from the E Tū Union.
Banding
PIJF % Request
PIJF Average
Industry Average
Junior
5%
$45,785
$47,000
Intermediate
60%
$71,193
$60,000 - $65,000*
Senior
Released
35%
$89,039
$72,000 - $100,000**
* Television Journalist average pay is $80,000
** Television Journalist average pay is $82,000 - $123,000
18. In line with these figures, some funding recommendations will be less than the requested amounts and hence
why most recommendations are subject to a ‘confirmed revised budget’.
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19. All funding offers in this round will be contingent on the provision of signed employment contracts to ensure
roles have been fulfilled and if role recruitment cannot be confirmed by
then any unutilised
funding will be returned to the PIJF and reapplied in the final funding round of the financial year.
20. In order to manage this process from a contracting perspective, successful applicants will have the option of two
potential contract initiation deadlines. Applicants who are in a position to fulfil roles shortly after funding
decisions are announced will be able to initiate their contracts for those confirmed roles, with any remaining
roles that require a longer recruitment period having until that final January 14th cut-off date to be finalised.
21. There were a wide variety of associated costs against roles in most proposals. Staff isolated costs for each
proposal to establish average bands across the entire round to ensure equity across all proposals and alerted
assessors where costs exceeded these averages. Figures below reflect the average associated costs for
recommend roles.
Associated Cost Per role
Average Cost Y1
Average Cost Y2
Communications
$915
$775
Travel
$3,569
$3,443
Equipment
$3,874
$1,076
22. One application being considered at the full proposal stage from Stuff includes 11 non-incremental roles
Due to the complex nature of these requests and the
additional time required to analyse the detailed financial information provided, this application was not
considered by the assessment panel at the full proposal stage and has been analysed by
These
roles will be considered by the Board at the September hui.
GENERAL ASSESSMENT & STAFF OPINION
Woman Magazine School Road Publishing Requested $389,820
Synopsis
23. School Road Publishing produce Woman magazine and is applying for 2 roles; a women’s social issues writer
and a Māori and Pasifika Arts and Culture Writer to share more important New Zealand stories.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
Womens Social issues writer
1 feature per issue (26 stories)
$12,580
Māori and Pasifika Arts and Culture Writer 1 feature per issue (26 stories)
$9,830
Costs
$22,410
under the Official Information Act
Platform Contribution
$25,000
General Assessment
24. School Road Publishing is led by Sido Kitchen who is a veteran of the magazine world having produced
Woman’s Day and New Zealand Women’s Weekly and was Editorial Director of mass market women’s titles at
Bauer Media until its abrupt closure in April 2020.
25. Launched 10 months ago in the middle of the pandemic, Woman is a fortnightly Kiwi magazine targeting NZ
women and is one of four titles established by School Road Publishing following the collapse of Bauer media
Released
in 2020.
26. It is pitched as a relatable and reliable source of information and inspiration produced by Kiwi women, about
Kiwi women, for Kiwi women. It has an online version and a content sharing arrangement with Stuff.
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27. In 10 months, Woman has averaged a circulation of
. The study
, with a nationally represented sample, showed
Woman was read by
of those surveyed.
28. Woman magazine uses te reo Māori headings and content under the guidance of
and has undertaken a number of covers including a large pull out Matariki cover focused on
wāhine Māori.
29. Woman has a current total of
full-time writers relying heavily on freelance writers and says this reliance
is not viable long term given limited advertising revenue. It is seeking to hire a senior investigative journalist
to focus on social issues affecting NZ women and a Māori and Pasifika Arts and Culture Writer who would
provide in-depth focus on Māori and Pasifika the issues including arts and culture.
30. Both roles were expected to produce a feature for every issue (minimum of 26 features per year) with the
magazine covering all photography, video, travel and accommodation costs for the features.
31. The budget for both roles (at between
) were at the upper range of the salary band average.
In-kind contributions of
of associated costs will be contributed by School Road Publishing.
Staff Opinion
32. The assessment panel considered Woman magazine was providing valuable public interest journalism to a
female audience and was unique in its delivery of content to, and about, wāhine Māori.
33. Assessors noted this type of content was an important contribution to inclusion of Māori women’s content at a
mainstream level.
Assessors noted the PIJF wanted to
encourage publishers to look beyond
in ensuring minority groups had equity coverage and wanted
to support this publisher to continue as it has started.
34. Assessors felt supporting the Māori role would provide additional in-depth coverage of wāhine issues not
provided elsewhere and the involvement of
within the publication would ensure this role was
well-supported.
35. Supporting the Māori role is in line with the funding priorities established by the assessment panel in the
shortlisting of this round that sought to prioritise regional and local news, Māori, Pacific and Asian reporting
roles.
36. In line with the Round Criteria, the applicant will need to confirm content written by the funded role will be
made freely accessible online, as close to simultaneously as possible, when the content is published for sale in
under the Official Information Act
its print magazine.
37. The Women’s Social Issues investigative journalist, while supported by the assessment panel, was felt to be a
lower priority in this round due to its specialist nature.
38. Funding of up to $189,660 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for the Māori and Pasifika Arts and Culture Writer,
Released
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TP + Sunpix Ltd
Requested $372,000
Synopsis
39. Sunpix has produced Tagata Pasifika, a weekly 23-minute TV show on TVNZ funded by NZ On Air since 1987,
and since 2016 it has also managed the digital platform TP+. This proposal would support the development of
this digital platform by funding three digital text-based journalism roles.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est Associated
costs p.a.
Editor Senior Journalist
Support two junior reporters + produce content
Junior journalist
Longform story 1 per month
Junior journalist
Short form – weekly output
Costs p.a.
Platform Contribution p.a.
General Assessment
40. TP+ is a digital platform, self-funded by SunPix Ltd, which was originally created to broadcast Tagata Pasifika
video content online. Since its launch in 2016, TP+ has grown to produce and house content beyond Tagata
Pasifika television stories. This content includes TP+ video stories and TP+ written stories. The TP+ producer
also re-posts key Pasifika stories carried by other media to the social media such as
41. Sunpix contends that there is an opportunity to serve more Pasifika audience, with text-based journalism
attracting as much audience as video in their estimation.
42. The proposal contends that the Pasifika audience largely uses mobile devices but access to and data costs
can impact on the viewing of video, making a text-based format more accessible. Increasing text-based
journalism will also increase the ability to produce content from regional areas without the constraints of
having to travel film crew.
43. Sunpix is requesting funding for one senior and two junior roles to support and develop more text-based
content. All roles will have measurable content outcomes and the company believes supporting two junior
journalists will help increase the small number of Pasifika journalists in text-based media currently. Sunpix
has senior Pasifika journalists capable of supporting the requested roles.
Staff Opinion
44. There is no doubt that Tagata Pasifika has been an important part of the Pasifika media landscape for more
than 30 years
Further
under the Official Information Act
development of the TP+ platform meets the sustainability goals of the PIJF. It also provides an ability to provide
enhanced content outcomes for the Pasifika audience not constrained by the television programme format,
weekly schedule or cost of video content.
45. Current funding for Sunpix is focused on the production of Tagata Pasifika through video journalism and does
not cover text-based journalism. The employment of three journalists focused on text-based outcomes for the
TP+ site will provide content that is more accessible on mobile and other social media formats at a far reduced
cost compared to video content that requires film crew and equipment and production time. It will also al ow
TP+ to respond quickly to breaking events along with the opportunity to do more in depth and longform
Released
reporting.
46. While the proposal explained the rationale behind the roles well, Staff felt the content outcomes were not
well defined and a more detailed content plan would need to be delivered that provided measurable content
outcome targets.
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47. Assessors were generally in favour of the proposal, however felt that the balance of one senior role to one
junior would reduce the amount of supervision required and increase the content outcomes of the senior role.
Requested salary and costings were in line or slightly under industry and PIJF averages.
48. Expanding Pasifika journalism into text-based is an important step, this proposal would see TP+ stepping
towards becoming a more sustainable platform delivering to a priority Pasifika audience.
49. Funding of up to $273,600 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for the Editor / senior journalist and one junior journalist,
Auckland Council Reporter
Local Matters 2005 Ltd $150,148
Synopsis
50. This is a proposal by Local Matters 2005 Ltd on behalf of six publishers, nine printed publications and various
digital news platforms, to provide a collaborative local government reporting hub ‘The Auckland Council
Reporter Project’
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
Mid-grade journalist
Outputs not defined
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
51. The publications covered by this application cover the wider Auckland region with some up to 60kms from
Auckland City. The small newsrooms are not able to resource having a reporter at the Auckland City Council
meetings to represent their communities and this proposal provides a hub that will serve them all by
employing a shared mid-grade journalist.
52. In 2010, seven district councils plus the Auckland Regional Council were amalgamated to form Auckland
Council, which is made up of 13 wards and 21 local boards, plus four substantive Council Controlled
Organisations (Auckland Transport, Watercare, Panuku Development Auckland and Auckland Unlimited). The
change had a profound effect on the ability of local newspapers to effectively cover local body affairs, not
only due to the sheer size of the new entity, but also because much of the decision-making transferred from
the regions to the city centre. The applicant argues these changes have had a detrimental effect on how
local newsrooms can uphold their role of holding power to account when they are not able to attend
meetings and provide scrutiny.
under the Official Information Act
53. The collective would have an estimated combined distribution of 143,650 and are all members of the NZ
Community Newspapers Association. The publications include, The Rangitoto Observer, Devonport Flagstaff,
The Gulf News, Waiheke, Beacon Community News (Western Suburbs), The Howick & Pakuranga Times,
Botany & Ormiston Times, Pohutukawa Coast Times, Mahurangi Matters and Hibiscus Matters.
54. The role would be contracted via Local Matters 2005 Ltd on behalf of the hub via a content sharing
agreement outlined in a memorandum of understanding (a draft MOU was provided in the proposal.) A
specific bank account will be used solely for the administration of the role. A steering committee of
(yet to be appointed) would oversee the running of the hub to ensure the needs of each publication are met.
Released
55. The Auckland City Council Reporter will be home-based in Auckland city and cover Auckland Council and
other local body and committee meetings, identifying items of interest to the hub partners and writing
stories they indicate are of interest. A detailed job description was provided by the applicant.
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56. In a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the proposal would also encourage engagement with the Auckland
Independent Māori Statutory Board to ensure its perspective on important issues is represented in stories
which the applicants say would be a new approach for many of the publications.
57. The applicant is confident that if the hub proves to be a success, the combined resources of the collective
would be able to ensure the project continues past the initial two-year funding.
Staff Opinion
58. Assessors were unanimously in favour of this proposal, saying it would provide core public interest journalism
and local government reporting especially for local and regional audiences. The project was also seen as an
excellent example of collaboration to ensure efficiency of public money spending.
59.
The applicant has provided the draft MOU as evidence of
steps towards providing a dispute resolution process and a three-member steering committee will be set up to
handle the running of the project.
60. Due to the large number of publications, and variety of platforms, setting and monitoring content outcomes will
be difficult but the requirement for members to provide statistics to NZ On Air is noted in the draft MOU. Staff
believes it is in the best interests of the hub for reporter output to be tracked and that a monitoring system can
be instituted. A measurable content outcome plan will be a condition of funding.
61. The salary request for this role is in-line with industry expectations as are costs associated with the role.
62. This is a cost-effective proposal for small community papers to provide strong local government coverage
supporting vital public interest journalism.
63. Funding of up to $150,148 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for this role,
Crux. Crux Publishing Ltd. Requested
Synopsis
64. This is an application from Crux Publishing Ltd for a senior journalist and an intermediate journalist, to increase
local news coverage on its online news platform, covering the Southern Lakes and Central Otago.
Role
Outputs
Salary pa
Est. Associated costs
p.a
Senior Journalist
TBC
under the Official Information Act
Community Reporter
TBC
(Intermediate Journalist)
Costs
Platform Contribution
p.a.
General Assessment
65. Crux was launched in May 2018 using a community funding model to avoid traditional advertising. It is run
by a not-for-profit trust and takes donations. The only advertising on the site is in the form of selected
Released
content partnerships.
66. The website reaches between
of the local population (40,000 population) each week with up
to
on social media each week.
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67. It is currently staffed by one senior journalist/editor and
The senior role is currently filled by
.
if a new senior journalist is funded.
68. To date, Crux
, but it now wants to expand on news coverage and public interest
journalism.
69. The application prioritises funding for a senior news editor/reporter, but also includes a budgeted request
for an intermediate reporter.
Staff Opinion
70. The assessment panel noted that Crux is providing a good service to the local community in terms of quality local
journalism, and that increasing staffing would allow it to expand that service further.
71. The assessors felt that because the senior role is currently filled by
aims to move into a
different role, the senior journalist role is not incremental and not tied to an increase in content. Therefore, the
panel does not recommend funding that role.
72. The assessors felt that the community reporter / intermediate journalist could contribute extra content that
would support the aims of the PIJF, increasing coverage of local news events and issues. However measurable
content outcomes are not defined for this role and would need to be agreed prior to contracting.
73. The role would be well supported, under the guidance of a senior editor with a good track record in the region.
74. The salary request for this role is in-line with industry expectations as are costs associated with the role.
75. Funding of up to $151,200 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for the Community reporter / intermediate journalist role,
The Spinoff The Spinoff
Requested
Synopsis
76. This application from the online news magazine The Spinoff is for funding for a variety of roles to support and
increase a broader range of content, as outlined below.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est associated
under the Official Information Act
costs p.a.
Māori Politics reporter
80 X 800 – 1,200-word pieces per year, 4 X 3,000 –
4,000-word longform features
Pacific Communities Editor Editing 30 X 1000 – 1200-word pieces, writing 40 X
1000 – 1200-word pieces, 5 X 3000 – 5000-word
long form features
Disabilities editor .4 FTE
Editing 10 X 1000 – 1200-word pieces, editing 3 long
form, writing short and 2 long form features
Released
Costs pa
Platform Contribution p.a.
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General Assessment
77. The Spinoff website reaches more than
every month. The average Spinoff article receives
more than
unique reads and the average time spent reading is around
.
78. The Spinoff pitches itself as an entirely New Zealand focused service. It is owned by its leaders and senior
staff and keeps advertising low, with sections sponsored by advertising partners. The guiding principle is that
less content created with more care serves the audience better than a high-volume approach.
79. The Spinoff has content sharing relationships with the New Zealand Herald, RNZ, BusinessDesk and
Interest.co.nz and outputs from these roles would be shared as part of those agreements.
80. Five roles have been suggested as part of this application: A Māori politics reporter would provide news and
current affairs content including analysis focused on Māori politics; a Pacific communities editor would
commission edit and work on stories focused on Pasifika communities in New Zealand;
81. The Spinoff points out that all these areas of reporting are underserved currently and that it does not have the
budget currently to fund these roles itself.
Staff Opinion
82. The assessment panel agrees with the need to increase reporting in all these areas, but due to the large number
of applications for this round,
83. A Māori politics reporter delivers important by and for Māori journalism and will add depth to Māori political
reporting in the mainstream media, which there is a scarcity of.
84. The Pasifika audience is similarly underserved and underrepresented in terms of news and current affairs and
assessors felt this proposal would address that. With The Spinoff’s younger and Auckland focused audience,
the assessment panel felt that it was a strong environment for Pasifika role funding.
85. Sustainability of these two roles past the first two years is important and assessors noted that the application
has shown consideration of that, stating that two years will give the organisation’s funding and commercial
team time to develop plans for the continuation of the role.
86. Content outcomes are well defined and significant and should form the basis of a confirmed minimum output
agreement.
87. The salary request for the roles is in-line with industry expectations as are costs associated with the roles.
under the Official Information Act
88. Funding is recommended for the Māori Politics reporter and the Pacific Communities editor up to $427,800
(including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years,
Ashburton Guardian Ashburton Guardian Company Requested
Released
Synopsis
89. The Ashburton Guardian is requesting two roles to support rural and video journalism for the mid-Canterbury
region.
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Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est associated
costs p.a.
Rural Content Editor
TBC
$75,000
0
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
90. The Ashburton Guardian is one of only a handful of privately owned regional news publishers in the country.
For 142 years it has served the mid-Canterbury region remaining in the ownership of the same family. It
produces a tri-weekly newspaper along with a website, dedicated app and monthly farming publication.
91. Like most publishers around the country, the Ashburton Guardian
This comes at a time when issues within the rural sector are becoming more
complex and higher profile, such as climate change, water and land use and intensive farming techniques.
92. The Ashburton Guardian has content sharing agreements with
so content provided by the Rural Content Editor could contribute to a
national discussion of rural issues and be shared by other publications.
93.
94. To meet the criteria that all funded content should be freely available, the Ashburton Guardian will make all
content from the role available on its website and app and in front of its digital paywall.
95. In regard to a commitment to Te Tiriti,
has committed to driving change in this area by
developing connections with Māori partners especially
to ensure that Māori views are heard.
96. The salary request for the Rural Content Editor role is in-line with industry expectations and round averages
as are costs associated with the role.
under the Official Information Act
97. The Ashburton Guardian also applied for a
, however this role was considered
less of a priority in this round by the assessment panel.
Staff Opinion
98. The assessment team saw the strong need for the Rural Content Editor role within a rural publication such as
the Ashburton Guardian and while the role uses the title of Editor, the panel was confident it was essentially
a reporter role with measurable content outcomes. They felt the importance of this role to regional and local
reporting brought it into the priority category for this round.
99. Content deliverables will need to be confirmed prior to contracting.
Released
100. Funding of up to $150,000 over two years is therefore recommended for the Rural Content Editor subject to
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Central App Central App $31,200
Synopsis
The Central App seeks to appoint a Local Government reporter part-time to provide coverage of the Cromwel
Community Board.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est associated
costs p.a.
Local Government
At least two main stories and two or three briefs from
reporter part/time
each Community Board meeting, with different
angles/briefs shared between outlets ensuring as
fresh as possible content for all. Two or three strong
news stories from the full council meeting.
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
101. The Central App, established in 2016, is a privately owned news app based in Alexandra providing hyper-
local coverage of the Central Otago area.
102. It services the unique Central Otago district, New Zealand’s most inland region covering an area of 9.969km2.
With four electoral wards covering one of the lowest population densities per square kilometre in the
country providing consistent local government reporting has become difficult. The proposal points out, “No
newsroom today can afford to send journalists on a nearly 200km journey to cover a meeting that may only
generate one story. Sadly, that story may have been the only local news for the month, for that community.”
103. Community feedback around the lack of information regarding local government activity and decision-
making and operations led to a public interest journalism project started in Cromwell in 2020 by Connect
Cromwell, a Department of Internal Affairs – Community-Led Development (CLD) Group. Connect Cromwell
funded a Communications web site but now wants to see the responsibility move to an established publisher
– The Central App.
104. The Central App currently has an editorial team of one fulltime digital editor and a part time feature writer
and is unable to support a local government reporter without additional funding. It believes with time and
the app’s current growth; it will be able to sustain a third member of the editorial team long term.
105. The role would be employed on a contract basis
This includes coverage of five monthly meetings throughout the
region across 11 months of the year, travel, research and story compilation, distribution and monitoring,
photography, filing and additional coverage for council activity such as by-elections, important planning
under the Official Information Act
hearings, regional council coverage etc.
106. Content would be freely available through its app and website and shared with
(a letter of
support was included in the proposal). Content would also be shared with
Central App says it will also offer coverage to
107. The Central App says it has an existing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and te Reo Māori and has offered
a free weekly Te Reo course since October 2020.
Released
Staff Opinion
108. The funding request for this role is small compared to the impact consistent local government coverage could
have in this uniquely spread-out community.
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109. Assessors wondered whether this coverage could be included in the Local Government Reporting scheme,
however
110. As with most daily news roles, it is hard to predict content outcomes, but minimum content deliverables
will need to be established to allow contracting to be completed.
111. This application provides a future-focused local solution for an isolated community meeting the criteria of
the PIJF.
112. Funding for up to $31,200 for one year is recommended for one mid-range journalist subject to
North & South North & South Ltd. Requested $247,220
Synopsis
113. North and South magazine is seeking funding for a full time South Island correspondent.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
South Island
8 feature stories per year
Correspondent
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
114. North & South has
115.
116. North & South is asking for funding for a South Island correspondent, a mid-level or senior journalist who
would cover issues relating to the South Island but of national significance.
117. The application points to a lack of reporters in the South, particularly outside of Christchurch, and says North
under the Official Information Act
& South’s original goal, as per the name, was to cover issues from across the country.
118. In its application North & South highlights its renewed commitment to Te Tiriti, in the form of regular
features by Māori journalists and highlighting important issues within te ao Māori.
119. North & South has also put in a joint application with Newsroom for a Māori editor, which is also
recommended for funding in this round and is outlined below.
Staff Opinion
120. Assessors unanimously supported this application, saying it was a good proposal to lift South Island issues
into the national view.
Released
121. Requested salary and costings were in line with industry average and round averages.
122. Even with the other proposed roles within this round, assessors felt that the South Island is underserved
when it comes to reporter numbers, and current affairs reporters in particular.
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123. North & South has a proven track record of in-depth reporting and public interest journalism, reflecting the
aims of the PIJF.
124.
Given NZ on Air’s eligibility criteria that content ‘must also be available free of charge as close to
simultaneously as possible in a readily available online location,’ this would need to be confirmed prior to
contracting.
125. The assessors felt the overall costs of this proposal were high and above the round cost averages and so
recommended funding does not include
126. Funding is recommended up to $230,000 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across
two years for this role,
Newsroom
Newsroom Ltd Requested $843,623
Synopsis
127. The Newsroom website has put in in application in two parts – the first a joint application with North and
South for two Māori reporting roles, and the second part a South Island network of writers just for Newsroom.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
Māori editor
Outputs not defined
Māori journalist
Outputs not defined
South Island network Writer part-time
Approx. 30 stories / year
South Island network co-ordinator/ writer
Approx. 30 stories / year
part-time
South Island subeditor/writer
Approx. 30 stories / year
South Island network Writer part-time
Approx. 30 stories / year
Platform Contribution p.a.
under the Official Information Act
General Assessment
128. Newsroom and North & South have proposed funding for a Māori unit, comprising a senior editor and a
more junior reporter. The unit would lead coverage of te ao Māori across both titles.
129. Separately, Newsroom has applied for funding for a South Island unit of part time roles and freelancers.
These reporters would be spread out across the South Island and complement the one South Island staff
member Newsroom currently has, in Christchurch.
130. The proposal estimat
Released es these four writers could produce about 2-3 pieces per month, around 30 each per
year. These would mostly be news features, aiming to break new stories or angles and add local context to
national stories.
131. Newsroom has content sharing agreements with Stuff, RNZ, The Greymouth Star and MSN and any outputs
would be made available for their platforms.
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132.
The proposal has
in associated staffing costs per year but
has no breakdown of what those costs would be.
Staff Opinion
133. Both North & South and Newsroom have shown strong commitments to public interest journalism, and the
assessment panel thought both these proposals show commitment to the PIJF principles.
134. Māori issues reporting is seen as a gap in Newsroom’s and North & South’s editorial offerings. There does
seem to be a strong commitment to addressing that with this unit, and the infrastructure is there to support
the roles.
135. The South Island unit was seen as important in filling a perceived PIJ gap. One assessor commented that this
unit would be an “expansion of a quality website that is exposing readers to material not seen elsewhere.”
136. Once again, the assessors saw a need for more reporters in the South Island and more coverage of South
Island news and current affairs in national media. This proposal has a clear intention to do that, and
Newsroom has the infrastructure to support the extra roles.
137.
The proposal suggests that only funding one reporter would not be setting up for success, but given
there is an existing newsroom to support, and the role is a senior one, assessors felt that one senior
journalist could make a positive impact.
138.
139. Staff calculated a
140. Funding of up to $528,316 (including up to
for approved associated costs) is recommended for the
four part-time South Island roles and the Māori editor,
agreement.
under the Official Information Act
Allied Press Al ied Press Ltd Requested
Synopsis
141. Allied Press has applied to fund 5 journalism roles covering court reporting and southern issues.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
E.A Costs p.a
Southern issues
TBC
Court reporter
TBC
Released
Court reporter
TBC
Court reporter (central)
TBC
Platform Contribution
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General Assessment
142.
Following shortlisting, the applicant reviewed
its proposal in line with the assessment team’s priorities and limited the request to t
143. The court reporting roles would fill gaps created last year when
The
requested roles would cover the Queenstown, Alexandra and Oamaru courts and the daily court lists from
Dunedin and Invercargill and Gore. These reporters will be in addition to the 1.6 FTE specialist court
reporters Allied still has in Dunedin and general reporters covering court in Invercargill and Greymouth.
144. The court reporting roles will provide collaborative coverage to the NZME/RNZ Open Justice court reporting
proposal, which is in front of the Board for consideration in this round. It is noted that Allied Press already
has a content sharing arrangement with NZME. Court reporting was identified as a considerable gap in public
interest journalism. Assessor
and told the panel the lack
of court reporting had been raised as a serious concern within the justice system impinging the core
principle that justice must be seen to be done. Allied Press also applied for
While assessors accepted these roles fit the criteria and priority of this
round, they felt due to funding constraints
could be funded at this time.
145. In round 1, Allied Press received $675,000 (an increase of $275,000) for the returning The South Today
project which provides video journalism around the West Coast and southern South Island.
Staff Opinion
146.
147. The court reporting roles provide an important collaboration with the NZME/RNZ Open Justice scheme and
ensure it can provide a nationwide network. They also provide important public interest journalism and
being connected to the nationwide network will ensure national trends and issues stories reflect southern
perspectives and experiences.
148. Provision of one Southern Issues reporter will enable Allied Press to provide in-depth coverage not currently
provided by any other media for communities in the south of the South Island.
under the Official Information Act
149. Minimum content deliverables will need to be established to allow contracting to be completed.
150. All associated costs were granted as they were considered by staff to be in line with the scope and size of the
roles.
151. Funding is recommended up to $711,797 (including
for associated costs) over two years for the
following roles: 3 Court reporters and 1 Southern Issues reporter. The funding is subject to
Released
Valley Profile The Valley Media
Requested
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Synopsis
152. An application for one reporter to produce PIJF for The Valley Profile which is a free, weekly community
newspaper covering local community news and events throughout the Thames Valley region.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
E.A Costs p.a
Reporter
6 – 10 stories a week
Platform Contribution
p.a.
General Assessment
153. The Valley Profile is a locally owned and operated free weekly community newspaper, published every
Wednesday.
154. The Valley Profile is also currently offered online, both as a digital edition pdf and in blog form at
https://www.valleyprofile.co.nz/.
which will become the main
digital news platform for both the Valley Profile plus other news from around the Coromandel Peninsula.
155. Valley Media currently has one full-time journalist and one full-time editor (who also writes) along with
contract contributors.
156. Funding of an additional journalist will allow the Valley Profile to provide consistent local government
coverage by reporters that live in the area.
157. Valley Media says it is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and has built relationships with local Iwi,
to ensure Māori issues are
well covered.
Staff Opinion
158. Assessors felt this application came from an experienced journalist
with good content and good
hyperlocal coverage.
159. Valley Media are already looking to diversify, and the proposed
could increase income streams to
support the funded role into the future.
160. Associated costs were deemed appropriate to the scope and scale of the role
161. Funding is recommended up to $127,096 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two
years
under the Official Information Act
The Gisborne Herald Gisborne Herald Co $183,240
Synopsis
162. The Gisborne Herald is seeking funding for one role, that of a kaupapa Māori reporter.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
E.A Costs p.a
Released
Kaupapa Māori reporter
To be defined
Platform Contribution
p.a.
General Assessment
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163. The Gisborne Herald is an independently owned daily newspaper in an area where 53% of the population is
of Māori descent. In Wairoa, where it publishes an associated bi-weekly publication The Wairoa Star, 67% of
the local population are of Māori descent.
164.
165. In order to meet cultural support criteria, The Gisborne Herald has contacted a local kuia who has expressed
interest in becoming a cultural adviser for the kaupapa Māori reporter. The Gisborne Herald and Wairoa Star
have established a long-standing relationship with hapū and iwi of the region. In what is now a mostly post-
settlement era of steadily building whānau, hapū and iwi success in this region, a reinvigoration of kaupapa
Māori journalism at The Gisborne Herald will support further development of these relationships.
166. The Gisborne Herald has a content-sharing arrangement with
who is supportive of
this application. Initial discussions have also been held with local iwi radio station
167. The Gisborne Herald suggests that strong quality Māori journalism and better engagement with its large
Māori audience will be important to the publication, and it is committed to retaining the funded role beyond
the PIJF funding timeframe.
Staff Opinion
168. Assessors were unanimously in favour of this application although some questioned whether the role was
incremental
Given that technically the
role is not in the current workforce and due to its importance in providing public interest journalism to a large
priority Māori audience, assessors agreed the role could be defined as incremental.
169. The applicant has revised the cultural support afforded the role following discussions with staff and to meet
PIJF criteria which is positive.
170. Requested salary and costings were in line with industry average and round averages. As with most daily
news roles, it is hard to predict content outcomes, but content deliverables will need to be established to
allow contracting to be completed.
171. Funding is therefore recommended up to $183,240 (including up to
for approved associated costs)
under the Official Information Act
across two years subject to
Metro Media Group Ltd
Metro Magazine
$47,600
Synopsis
172. Metro magazine has applied for funding to employ
as a part time Māori reporter/editor.
would write and com
Released mission columns, identify and mentor new Māori contributors and coordinate with Māori
media platforms to further share their work.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
E.A Costs p.a
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Part time Māori Editor
4 X 800 – 1000-word features
Editing 4 x 800 – 1000-word feature column
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
173. Metro is an Auckland-focused magazine
174.
175. Metro is applying for funding for a part time Māori reporter/editor, with a goal of having more Māori telling
more Māori stories.
176. The application states the magazine intends to employ
. He is an established
journalist, author and commentator
177. While Metro is a newsstand magazine, al content will be made freely available simultaneously online.
178.
Staff Opinion
179. The assessment panel commented that Metro has a long history of commitment to public interest
journalism and a commitment to in-depth reporting.
180. This application shows a commitment to strengthening Māori journalism in Metro, and in particular
to increasing the amount of content written by and for Māori. Sourcing and mentoring other Māori
contributors is explicitly part of the role.
181.
182. The assessment panel gave this proposal a unanimous yes, with one pointing out it makes a "good
contribution to the PIJF for a relatively small cost".
183. All associated costs were granted as they were considered by staff to be in line with the scope and size of
the roles.
184. Funding is therefore recommended up to $47,600 (including
in associated costs) over two years
under the Official Information Act
subject to
Mana Trust
E-Tangata $650,000
Synopsis
185. The Mana Trust requests funding for four roles to help build and strengthen its capacity to produce the online
Released
publication, E-Tangata.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
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Senior Writer-editor
1-2 longform pieces per month along with PIJF-
tagged pieces written by others but edited by the
writer-editor
Senior writer-editor
1-2 longform pieces per month along with PIJF-
tagged pieces written by others but edited by the
writer-editor
Regional writer mid to
1-2 longform pieces per month
senior
Junior writer
1-2 pieces per month minimum.
Platform Contribution
p.a.
General Assessment
186. Mana Trust is a not-for-profit trust that was set up in 2014 to provide Māori and Pasifika stories, voices and
worldviews that are largely missing from the mainstream media and to counter harmful negative narratives
and stereotypes prevalent in mainstream media coverage. Its publication E-Tangata is a respected high
quality longform online journalism publication.
187.
188.
189. The PIJF roles requested will increase in-depth coverage of Māori and Pacific issues and people on a scale
not offered by any other publication and requested salary and costings are in line with industry average.
Most associated costs would be covered by the applicant.
190. E-Tangata has content sharing arrangements with
and close relationships
Mana Trust is highly committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is led by Māori
and Pacific co-chairs, and a further two of three trustees are Māori.
191. Mana Trust is optimistic it can eventually sustain the proposed roles.
under the Official Information Act
Staff Opinion
192. Assessors were unanimously in favour of supporting this application noting the huge amount of
along with support from
193. E-Tangata not only provides public interest journalism to target audiences, it also helps support the
development of Māori and Pacific writers through the experience mentoring provided by
194. Content outcomes were outlined in the proposal, but minimum outputs will need to be agreed before
contracting.
Released
195. Funding of up to $650,000 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across two years is
therefore recommended for two senior writer-editors, one regional writer and one junior writer
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The Indian Weekender Kiwi Media Publishing Requested $874,500
Synopsis
196. The Indian Weekender is applying for five new reporter roles to expand its news coverage around the country.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
Senior Auckland reporter TBC
$75,000
$23,250
Wellington reporter
TBC
$65,000
$19,750
Christchurch reporter
TBC
$65,000
$19,750
Hamilton reporter
TBC
$65,000
$19,750
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
197. The Indian Weekender is a South Asian focused media company which aims to bring news to the Indian, Fiji
Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Muslim Middle Eastern and Pakistani communities. It also has a
goal of promoting diversity and inclusion.
198.
199. The Indian Weekender has been running for 12 years and is seen as one of the main sources of news
catering to its target South Asian audience in New Zealand.
200. The New Zealand Indian diaspora has increased in numbers over the years and has also dispersed more
throughout the country. This has created a need for more news coverage in centres other than Auckland.
201.
202. The Indian Weekender has had content sharing agreements with other outlets
plans to
make this content available to other outlets, including
203.
Staff Opinion
under the Official Information Act
204. The assessment panel commented that the Indian Weekender has a long record of good reporting on local
stories for what is an underserved and growing audience in New Zealand. Currently, reporting staff are
centred in Auckland, but with significant South Asian populations around the country, it would be
beneficial to have more of a geographic split of reporters, in order to cover local stories.
205.
The Indian Weekender
has a newsroom infrastructure in place to support these incremental journalist roles.
Released
206. Salary ranges and costings were in line with industry average and round averages.
207. Due to limited available funding, assessors recommend funding four roles rather than five
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208. Funding is recommended up to $705,000 (including up to
for approved associated costs) across
two years for these roles: Senior Auckland Reporter, Wellington Reporter, Christchurch Reporter and
Hamilton Reporter,
Pacific Media Network The National Pacific Radio Trust Requested
Synopsis
209. This application from the Pacific Media Network (PMN) is for five additional reporting roles to increase
coverage of Pasifika stories.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated
Costs
Wellington political and regional
TBC
reporter
Multimedia journalist
TBC
Digital Video editor
TBC
Current affairs producer
TBC
Senior sub-editor/ chief of staff
TBC
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
210. PMN includes the 531PI radio network, which broadcasts in English and 10 Pacific languages, PMN News and
Niu FM which broadcasts in Auckland only. Across its properties, PMN is accessible to 92% of the Pasifika
population in New Zealand.
211. Currently the PMN newsroom consists
212. PMN has content sharing arrangements with
and many other smaller media organisations and
will share this content with those other platforms. It also has a good working relationship with
213. The application only asks for one year of funding.
Staff Opinion
under the Official Information Act
214. The assessment panel was unanimous in support for this application, with one assessor stating that it makes
a "strong case and will start to fill Pasifika gaps" and that it meets a democratic need for more Pasifika
reporting, particularly within Parliament.
215. PMN is already substantially and operationally funded by NZ On Air and given this significant level of existing
funding, assessors felt
The least crucial role was seen by the assessors as
It’s hoped that funding the other four roles will take some pressure off
the current group of multimedia journalists in Auckland.
Released
216. This project is good value for money as it doesn’t include any costs over and above salaries.
217. There’s strong cultural value in terms of catering to an important and underserved Pasifika audience but
staff notes there is also a strong commitment to Te Tiriti, with PMN having already partnered with Māori
news outlets to cover the last election and Waitangi Day, and a stated intention to continue this.
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218. The roles are well thought out in terms of need, with a focus on Wellington/Parliament and increasing video
content. These proposed PIJF roles should facilitate more coverage that delivers to key PIJF objectives of in-
depth reporting for underserved audiences.
219. Funding is recommended up to $275,000 for one year, for four roles: Wellington political and regional
reporter, Digital video editor, Current affairs producer, and Senior sub-editor/chief of staff,
under the Official Information Act
Released
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under the Official Information Act
Released
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Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika
Te Hiku Media $176,200
Synopsis
234. Te Hiku Radio is applying for a public interest focused digital journalist, to create online content from its radio
interviews.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Estimated
associated costs
pa
PIJF digital journalist
2 x online feature stories per week
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
235. Te Hiku Media is a charitable media organisation, collectively belonging to
Te Hiku Radio is an iwi communications hub for iwi radio,
online TV and media services.
236. Te Hiku Radio interviews about 35 people about news events every week and these are then posted on the
Te Hiku website and te Whare Kōrero app. About 90% of these interviews are in te reo.
237. The main role of this new journalist would be to produce feature stories for the website and app based on
these interviews, at around two pieces per week. The content would have a strong regional focus on a
national story or could be an entirely local story. The stories would be based around the interviews, but
supplemented with new interviews and research, as well as photos and video where possible.
238. While iwi radio is operationally funded by Te Māngai Pāho, this is for the key purpose of the revitalisation of
the te reo Māori, not specifically for the creation of journalism outcomes. Te Hiku Radio sees itself as a
trusted voice in the community and that it has a role to play in bringing local issues to light for the local
community – a role that it can’t currently support financially to the scale proposed above.
239. Te Hiku currently employs
journalists who work mainly on the Haukainga section of their website. These
reporters and the radio staff would be available to support this new reporter. Te Hiku also has strong
working relationships with
and staff expects
they will also provide support to this new journalist.
240. Salaries and costs are in line with industry expectations and round averages.
Staff Opinion
241. This application was unanimously supported by the assessment panel, who believe it met core PIJF
objectives and will further highlight and leverage wider journalism content that is already available from Te
under the Official Information Act
Hiku Radio and deliver greater audience outcomes as a result.
242. Commitment to Māori issues and te reo is very strong, there is a basic newsroom infrastructure in place to
support a new role and the outputs are clear.
243. Funding of up to $176,200 (including
for approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for the PIJF Digital Journalist role subject to
Released
Local Focus. Very Nice Productions / NZME / Wairarapa Times Age $105,000
Synopsis
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244. Local Focus is applying for role-based funding for a video journalist based in Masterton, working closely with
the Wairarapa Times-Age newsroom and providing content to both NZME and the Times-Age websites.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Est. Associated costs
p.a.
VJ Masterton Wairarapa
Approx. 5 minutes video content per week
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
245. Local Focus has proved itself as an effective regional news media scheme, providing video reporting for The
Herald website – the largest news website in the country - from all around the country. It has been funded
by NZ On Air since 2016.
246. This latest application is for an area that hasn’t yet been reached by Focus and doesn’t have any other video
journalists. It would see a video journalist based in Masterton, in the Wairarapa Times-Age newsroom.
247. The application is supported by NZME and the Wairarapa Times-Age. The Times-Age used to be an NZME
title but is now independent, with an ongoing content sharing arrangement.
248. The role would be similar to the other Local Focus roles currently supported by NZ On Air. The journalist
would primarily be focused on video but would also write accompanying articles and these would feature on
the Herald website, and also on the Wairarapa Times-Age website.
249. The application is for one year of funding only
Staff Opinion
250. Local Focus is a proven network in terms of outputs of quality local journalism with local network partners.
251. The assessment panel praised this proposal as a “good addition to a network which seems to be working
well.”. It also noted that working with the Wairarapa Times-Age and NZME meant no competition or
duplication of roles.
252. This application shows a strong commitment to local news and public interest journalism principles –
informing local audiences on important regional issues and providing for communities that are underserved
with news coverage.
253. The role is good value, with contribution and support from NZME and the Wairarapa Times-Age.
254. Funding up to $105,000 (including
for approved associated costs) for one year is recommended
for VJ Wairarapa-Masterton role
under the Official Information Act
UMA Broadcasting
RadioWaatea $774,000
Synopsis
255. UMA Broadcasting seeks to fund 6.5 roles for an English/ bilingual news service on Radio Waatea.
Role
Outputs
Salary p.a.
Estimated
associated costs
Released
pa
Editor
Editor .5 FTE
Senior journalist
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Senior journalist
Senior journalist
Trainee journalist
Trainee journalist
Costs
Platform Contribution
General Assessment
256. Radio Waatea is seeking funding for 6.5 journalist roles to extend its current bilingual news and current
affairs coverage to deliver a four-fold increase in the number of news stories and to extend on-the-ground
coverage of news events in the following regions: Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Tai Tokerau, Te Whanganui-a-Tara
and Mātaatua.
257. The applicant proposes three experienced journalists with broadcast and online media expertise delivering
video, pics, text and audio content. These senior journalists would be assisted by two trainee journalists. This
team would be supported by one and a half new fulltime equivalent editors.
258.
In addition,
the general under-investment in Māori journalism over many years has proven to be a significant constraint
on the appointment and sustained development of Māori news staff.
259. In terms of collaborations, Waatea already has content and resource sharing arrangements with iwi radio
stations/regional news providers,
,
,
,
,
,
They are also discussing content sharing with
260. In Round 1 of the PIJF, Radio Waatea was funded for $433,000 to extend the current affairs show Paakiwaha
which involved an additional two journalists and a second host.
Staff Opinion
261. Assessors were generally in favour of this application with one noting “This proposal would almost double
the journalistic staff of Radio Waatea enabling a major leap forward.”
262. While there was some concern about the whether the editor roles could be considered content producing
the assessors expected those roles would also produce content and this could be defined in the content
under the Official Information Act
deliverables.
263.
the impact of this newsroom given the large
collaborations with a variety of Māori and non-Māori media would provide an impactful lift in Māori
reporting across the media landscape and ensure Māori audiences were being served across a variety of
platforms.
264. Radio Waatea is considered one of the incubators for Māori journalists and
This
funding will enable Waatea to build a strong Māori newsroom where benefits will flow not only to
Released
audiences but other media as well.
265. Funding of up to $774,000 (including up to
for approved associated costs) for one year is
recommended for the Editor, .5 FTE Editor, three senior journalist and two trainee journalist roles,
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Discovery NZ Newshub Requested
Synopsis
266. Newshub / Discovery is applying for funding for two years for a regional journalism unit of up to 11 staff, plus
three ethnic affairs positions.
Role
Outputs
Annual salary
Est. Associated
costs p.a.
Dunedin Video Journalist
Māori Affairs Reporter
Pasifika Affairs Reporter
Asian Affairs Reporter
Plus contingency
Platform Contribution
$0
General Assessment
267. Discovery NZ’s news service Newshub has made an application in two parts: regional video journalists and
ethnic affairs reporters.
268.
under the Official Information Act
269. The intention is to provide more regional stories for a national audience, via Newshub’s news bulletins,
current affairs programmes and the Newshub website.
Released
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Staff Opinion
Staff sought to reduce associated costs by
removing administration and overhead costs, some equipment costs and training costs.
275.
Dunedin was seen by the panel as a particularly underserved region, both in terms of providing
news for Dunedin locals, and for showing Dunedin stories to a national audience.
This
role was also the one prioritised by Newshub in its application.
276. The Māori Affairs reporter, Pasifika Affairs Reporter and Asian Affairs Reporter were seen as a great
investment in bringing diverse storytelling to a large national audience. The Asian affairs reporter in
particular was seen as a gap in the broadcaster’s coverage.
277. There appears to be renewed commitment to Te Tiriti reporting from Newshub, and the application lays out
additional ways this approach and these roles would be supported.
278.
the Dunedin reporter essential and the three
additional roles a significant boost for diversity reporting.
279. Funding up to $695,560 (including
in approved associated costs) across two years is
recommended for the following roles, Dunedin Video Journalist, Māori Affairs Reporter, Pasifika Affairs
Reporter and Asian Affairs reporter
ANNEXES
under the Official Information Act
Released
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