Te Rito Journalism Project has won the Barfoot & Thompson Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Deloitte Top 200 Awards held in Tāmaki this week.
The awards, now in their 34th year, showcase the best of business performance in New Zealand.
Established through the support of NZ On Air’s Public Interest Journalism Fund, Te Rito Journalism Project is a partnership of four media organisations – Whakaata Māori, NZME, Newshub and the Pacific Media Network.
Its aim is to address a critical shortage of reo Māori and Pacifika journalists and to improve cultural awareness in newsrooms throughout the motu.
Whakaata Māori news manager Aroha Mane is rapt that the quality of the programme has been recognised by the country’s business elite.
“Te Rito gives cadets real-world experience, so they can hit the ground running with a clear understanding of the Whakaata Māori kaupapa, but they also have things to teach us older journalists.”
First-year Te Rito graduates Michael Cugley and Aaron Ryan joined Whakaata Māori this year. Cugley has a background in iwi radio and Ryan brings an interest in Pacific politics and climate change to his work.
“This young generation have grown up in an information-rich digital world and are passionate about their mahi. They may come in as teina, but they can also teach we tuakana a thing or two,” Mane says.
