2024 NZGAJC Photography and Journalism Awards Winners Announced

Posted: 09-Nov-2024

The Farmers Weekly team, Richard Rennie, Bryan Gibson, Neal Wallace and Steve Wynn-Harris, took out this year’s top award in the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators’ annual journalism awards for a feature where they revisited Cyclone Gabrielle six months and one year on.

The team at Farmers Weekly were intent on not letting the damage and ongoing implications of Cyclone Gabrielle sink below the headlines, given the widespread and unforgiving level of damage it had inflicted on largely rural areas. A decision was made to review Gabrielle’s impact at 6 months, and again at one year. The feature drew on Farmers Weekly's multi-platform approach, including a podcast feature conducted by Bryan Gibson, and a video interview with a kiwifruit farmer.

The Ministry for Primary Industries Rongo Award recognises excellence in agricultural journalism for its originality, exceptional storytelling, and depth of quality research. This was the 51st year of the Rongo Award being awarded.

Judges commenced the feature, calling it “an astounding compilation that vividly captures the heartbreak and the hopes. The series delves into all that the cyclone left in its wake – the people, livelihoods, infrastructure, farming, the devastation and the recovery. A blueprint for how such projects should be executed.”

This year we had two runner-ups in the MPI Rongo Award. Sally Rae, for a compelling and comprehensive series – part of a regional competition - that champions growers and farmers in their region; and Kate Evans for two articles, one on the concept of “urchinomics” and one on farming native species of fish in completely new ways.

The Pāmu Agricultural Journalism Encouragement Award, established to recognise the work of journalists who are new to specialising in agricultural journalism, went to Gianina Schwanecke, for items that included an article aiming to provide new insights into some of the challenges facing the older generation of farmers as they consider succession planning.

The 2024 winners were announced at an awards dinner in Wellington. A total of 9 awards were presented; seven for journalism, one for photography, and one for a comms campaign. Judges for each category came from a range of professional backgrounds, from established journalists to industry leaders.

The Wools of New Zealand Rural Photography Award was won by Aaron Smale for a photo taken to illustrate a story that was included in a six-part series about forestry slash on the East Coast.

The Primary Sector Communications Campaign Award, sponsored by the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators, went to the team behind Rere ki uta rere ki tai. This was described as a bold communication campaign that highlighted the importance of an integrated ecosystem approach to land management. By merging Mātauranga Māori and Western Science, the campaign empowers New Zealand farmers to act as stewards of the land, enhancing the mana and mauri of the soil.

President of the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators, Hayley Gavan, said, “This awards night is a wonderful celebration of professionalism and excellence in agricultural journalism and photography. Our members tell stories from across New Zealand that have a profound effect on our understanding of our environment, business, economics, science and communities. Agricultural journalism has an important role in telling stories that matter to all of us.

The full list of award winners are:

• Ministry for Primary Industries Rongo Award was won by the Farmers Weekly team, Richard Rennie, Bryan Gibson, Neal Wallace and Steve Wynn-Harris, for a feature where they revisited Cyclone Gabrielle six months and one year on. Sally Rae, for a compelling and comprehensive series – part of a regional competition - that champions growers and farmers in their region; and Kate Evans for two articles, one on the concept of “urchinomics” and one on farming native species of fish in completely new ways.
• AgResearch Science Writers Award was won by Anne Lee, for two CountryWide Media NZ Dairy Exporter stories on gene editing and genetic modification. Story 1. Story 2.
• Federated Farmers Broadcast Journalism Award was won by Sally Round for two items that were broadcast on RNZs Country Life programme. One on agrivoltaics - solar energy farming and one on lameness in dairy cows.
• Beef + Lamb Hard News Award was won by Tim Cronshaw, for two articles for Canterbury Rural Life, ODT online showing the pressure farmers were coming under from the burden of growing red tape and farmers sending to the works triplet bearing ewes because it was getting so dry in North Canterbury.
• Alliance Group Ltd Red Meat Industry Journalism Award was won by Shawn McAvinue for two articles published in Southern Rural Life. One on farmers selling to forestry companies and another on a visit to a Field Day and focussing on on-farm rising costs.
• Wools of New Zealand Rural Photography Award was won by Aaron Smale for a photo taken to illustrate a story that was included in a six-part series about forestry slash on the East Coast.
• DairyNZ Dairy Industry Award was won by Riley Kennedy, for articles for BusinessDesk. One on the Fonterra of the dairy goat industry, and another on Australian legislation being used to New Zealand’s advantage.
• Pāmu Agricultural Journalism Encouragement Award was won by Gianina Schwanecke, for items for Country Life on farm sales, working dogs, and Wellington's wild kiwi.
• NZGAJC Primary Sector Communications Campaign Award was won by the team behind Rere ki uta rere ki tai, which included a range of videos to raise awareness of sustainable land management practices by connecting people with Mātauranga Māori and scientific expertise from organisations like Tainui Group Holdings and Lincoln University.

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