Media Releases

Voyager Media Awards Recognise RNZ Journalism (May 2021)

Released at 5:04 pm on 13 October 2021

RNZ excellence in journalism has been recognised by judges at the prestigious Voyager Media Awards announced in Auckland this evening. The annual awards celebrate the very best in print, digital and broadcast journalism on all media platforms across New Zealand.

Media industry judges acknowledged that, in an unprecedented year for Aotearoa/ New Zealand, journalists were at the forefront of it all, telling high calibre, engaging stories.

RNZ journalists have won seven Voyager Media Awards and received judging commendations as runners-up in three categories.

For the second consecutive year RNZ podcasts dominated the Voyager digital categories, winning two awards. The RNZ / Bird of Paradise production, Getting Better - A Year in the Life of a Māori Medical Student, presented by Emma Espiner (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou), has won Best Narrative Podcast and the Voyager award for Best Episodic Podcast is William Ray’s Black Sheep.

The award for Best Innovation in Digital Storytelling has been won by RNZ and Vanishing Point Studio for Game Change: NZ's burgeoning video game industry.

In the very competitive and prestigious Feature Writing and Reporting categories RNZ journalists have received four awards.

The RNZ exploration of NZ First Donations has won Best Team Investigation. Judges said it was a clear winner due to the depth of research, the public interest involved, and the immediate and ongoing impact of the results of that research.

Veronica Schmidt’s essay I was filmed in a Kmart changing cubicle, a powerful personal account of her fight for justice, has won the Best First-Person Essay or Feature award.

Te Aniwa Hurihanganui (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tuhourangi, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) has won the Junior Reporter of the Year award. She was the inaugural recipient of the Henare te Ua Māori Journalism Internship established in 2017 by Radio New Zealand to support Te reo Māori and foster Māori journalism and last year won the Voyager Award as Best Māori Affairs Reporter.

RNZ’s Louise Ternouth is the Voyager Student Journalist of the Year for her range of compelling stories that demonstrated a tenacity to uncover the facts. Judges said the stories were structured well, told clearly and stood up well on RNZ's leading news shows.

Judging commendations as runners-up have been received by RNZ journalists Guyon Espiner in the Feature Writer of the Year category, Lisa Owen and the Checkpoint team in the Best Reporting – Social Issues category, and Charlotte Cook was runner up in the Junior Reporter of the Year.

RNZ CEO Paul Thompson congratulated all RNZ winners and finalists:
“These awards showcase the very best in journalism in Aotearoa / New Zealand. In a year that has been challenging and often confronting for us all, it is great to see RNZ staff and content partners recognised by media colleagues for their very impressive, high calibre, independent journalism.”

RNZ Voyager Media Award Winners for 2021:
Reporting and Feature Writing

RNZ News – Best Team Investigation
Veronica Schmidt – Best First-Person Essay or Feature
Te Aniwa Hurihanganui - Best Junior Reporter
Louise Ternouth – Student Journalist of the Year

Digital

Emma Espiner / Bird of Paradise Productions - Getting Better - Best Narrative Podcast
William Ray – Black Sheep - Best Episodic Podcast
RNZ/Vanishing Point Studio – Game Change – Best Innovation in Digital Storytelling.

RNZ Runners-up:

Guyon Espiner – Feature Writer of the Year
Lisa Owen / Checkpoint – Best Reporting (Social Issues)
Charlotte Cook – Junior Reporter of the Year