2020 Guild Agricultural Journalism Awards Winners
Winners of the 2020 NZ Guild of Agricultural Journalists & Communicators Awards were announced at the eighteenth anniversary dinner, sponsored by Ravensdown, in Wellington on Friday 16 October.
Following are the award-winning entries. Most are linked to online items, but some are in pdf format requiring Acrobat Reader.
Ministry for Primary Industries Rongo Award
This award is for excellence in journalism in the primary sector.
A six-part series, View from the Vines, about a Martinborough winemaker, broadcast over eight months with the final recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, took out this year’s top award in the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators annual journalism awards.
Recorded, written, edited and presented by Sally Round for the Country Life programme on RNZ, the series won the recognising excellence in agricultural journalism. She visited every two months over a year, including overnighting to experience frost fighting.
Runner-up in the Rongo award was the entry from the the NZ Dairy Exporter team Farming in the Covid-19 Bubble.
Primary Sector Communications Campaign Award
This award acknowledges excellence in delivering a communications campaign or project in the primary sector to address an industry issue or campaign.
The inaugural winner of this award is Mike Murphy and his team from New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc for a campaign aimed at attracting seasonal labour to the kiwifruit industry.
2020 NZKGI Harvest Video, NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc, 12 March 2020
AgResearch Science Writers Award
This award has been established by the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators and AgResearch to enhance standards of science writing, especially about pastoral agriculture.
This year's award was won by Richard Rennie, for articles which appeared in the NZ Farmers Weekly.
Research starts paying dividends, Farmers Weekly, January 13, 2020
Research and tech push on, Farmers Weekly, January 20, 2020
Agricultural Journalism Encouragement Award
This award was established by the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators, and is designed to acknowledge and recognise the work of journalists who have been specialising in agricultural journalism for three years or less.
This year's award was won by was won by Nikki Mandow, for items broadcast on RNZ News and Newsroom.
How banks peddled a product that killed farmers, Newsroom, 19 November 2019
An apple harvest no one will ever forget, Newsroom, 1 May 2019
Alliance Group Ltd Red Meat Industry Journalism Award
This award recognises the ability to communicate the complexities of the red meat industry.
This year's award was won by Neal Wallace, for articles in the NZ Farmers Weekly
Case puts big bill on industry, Farmers Weekly, January 13, 2020
Belligerence sparks union career, Farmers Weekly, April 20, 2020
DairyNZ Dairy Industry Award
This award focuses on all aspects of the dairy sector, from genetics, breeding, on-farm, processing, marketing, and all the many issues facing the New Zealand dairy industry.
This year's award was won by Anne Lee, four articles which appeared in the Dairy Exporter.
Keeping it Lean, Dairy Exporter, November 2019
A gentle start to the day, Dairy Exporter, August 2019
Federated Farmers Broadcast Journalism Award
The award has been established to recognise excellence in the broadcasting side of agricultural or agribusiness journalism, either radio of television.
This year's award was won by Carol Stiles for two items that were broadcast on RNZ’s Country Life programme.
Spectacular Speckles are turning heads, RNZ, 25 October 2019
First Farm - a 15 year journey to farm ownership, RNZ, 1 Many 2020
Federated Farmers Rural Photography Award
This award is open to any New Zealand-based journalist, photo-journalist, or photographer and is not restricted to NZGAJC members.
This year's award was won by Carol Stiles for a photo which accompanied an item on the Country Life website.
Ko Tātou This Is Us Biosecurity Journalism Award
This award was established by MPI’s Biosecuity New Zealand to recognise stories and media coverage associated with increasing awareness and understanding of biosecurity and its impacts on the environment, economy, society and culture.
This year's award was won by Nikki Mandow, of RNZ News/Newsroom.
Stink Bugs: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid, RNZ, 13 September 2019
Beetle Mania, RNZ, 31 January 2020
Rural Women New Zealand Rural Connectivity Award
This award was established to recognise the importance of connectivity to rural communities and agri-businesses in rural areas.
This year's award was won by Anne Lee for articles which appeared in The Dairy Exporter.
Driving behaviour change, Dairy Exporter, August 2019
The right spread, Dairy Exporter, August 2019
Rural Women New Zealand Journalism Award
This award has been established to recognise the important contribution women make (and have always made) in the rural community, either through their role in the farming sector or to the general rural environment, in its broadest interpretation.
This year's award was won by Sally Rae of the Otago Daily Times.
Fortitude in face of loss bears fruit, ODT, 16 November 2019
Celebrity chef’s dream realised, ODT, 13 June 2020
Zespri Export Journalism Award
This award focuses on all aspects of the primary sector exports – on farm, processing, packaging, transport, marketing, research, aimed at increasing market share.
This year's award was won by Nikki Mandow, for items that appeared on RNZ News and Newsroom.
An apple harvest no one will ever forget, RNZ, 1 May 2020
Stink Bugs: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid, RNZ, 13 September 2019
For more information
Contact: Sara Passmore nzagguild@gmail.com
Awards Administrator / Guild National Secretary