AGENDA ITEM 2.12
PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM – INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
FUNDING
FUNDING DECISIONS
RECOMMENDATION
That the Staff Investment Committee
approves up to:
•
$395,000 to Te Korimako o Taranaki for
Te Ia Ka Oho
•
$142,520 to Attitude Pictures for
Disability: Our Voices
•
$25,000 to GlobalHQ for two
Agri journalist Mentorships
•
$137,280 to Go Global Ltd for a
Chinese Journalism Cadetship Programme
•
$7,800 to Inland App Company for
Cadetships for Central students
•
$201,036 to The Spinoff for
The Next Page – Editors
and
declines funding of:
Six applications recommended for total funding of $908,636
OVERVIEW
1. 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.
2.
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.
3.
under the Official Information Act
Th
e General Guidelines were updated in March 2022
4. $5m was earmarked for the fifth round of the PIJF with applications sought applications across all three
funding pillars: Projects, Roles, and Industry Development. 39 applications were received for a total funding
request of $6,814,069.
5. Building on funding already distributed in the previous four rounds, th
e Round 5 criteria focused on funding
that supports the sustainability, capability and capacity of public interest journalism in Aotearoa.
6. Given the constrained pūtea, prior allocations and expected demand, media entities were able to make
separate applications under each of the three pil ars but the total number of proposals per applicant were
limited to:
Released
• 1 Industry Development application
• 1 Project application
• Maximum of 2 Roles (across both Targeted and Content Creation role categories)
7. This SIC paper assesses Industry Development funding recommended up to
$908,636 from a total ask in
this pillar of $1,190,526.
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8. The assessment panel for Round 5 included:
a.
b.
c.
.
d. 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.
e. Gabriel Thomas, Journalism Manager, NZ On Air. Former executive producer of
The Nation and
Firstline, producer
Newshub Live at 6.
f. Dr Fairooz Samy, Journalism Funding Advisor, NZ On Air. Recently graduated from Victoria University
of Wellington with a PhD in Media Studies.
g.
9. Conflicts of interest are outlined as below:
GENERAL ASSESSMENT & STAFF OPINION
Te Ia Ka Oho
Te Korimako o Taranaki
$395,000
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
under the Official Information Act
Synopsis
10. Te Ia Ka Oho is a nine-month local journalism cadetship programme to nurture five Māori journalists enabling
growth in the Māori journalism sector especially in Taranaki.
General Assessment 11. Te Korimako o Taranaki is an iwi radio station which has been on air since 1992 broadcasting a variety of
Released
programmes that are made by Māori, for Māori and about Māori in both Te Reo Māori and English.
12. It contends the pipeline of talent into New Zealand journalism is broken and newsrooms cannot find
experienced journalists to fill vacancies. This problem is particularly pronounced for the Māori media sector.
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13. The station has been part of a Te Māngai Pāhō funded Māori Regional News hub (Te Reo o Te Uru) for the past
16 months, which includes Awa FM based in Whanganui and KIA ORA FM based in Palmerston North.
14.
This proposal takes into account the four tribes in North Taranaki and four tribes in South Taranaki
along with the descendants of the Pakakohi, Tāngahoe and the mōrehu of Parihaka to ensure it is catering to
the entire tribal make- up of Taranaki whānui.
15. While Te Reo o Te Uru does aim to improve workforce development, Te Korimako says its own development
is limited in a collaboration that must meet the needs of three very different stations with different aspirations
and priorities.
16. Their customised training programme aims to equip Māori journalists with the appropriate tools and skills in
readiness for the media sector and wil be led by highly experienced journalist
, a former Executive
Producer of Te Karere (TVNZ).
studied journalism in Taranaki under the mentorship of industry
stalwart,
, at the Western Institute of Technology.
17. The proposal also includes a cultural advisor,
a qualified teacher who has taught in
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori, particularly the Wharekura and who brings a wealth of mātauranga Māori.
18. The project timeline runs from September 2022 with the programme establishment and recruitment of cadets
through to a June 2023 graduation.
Staff Opinion 19. While the proposal outlines a list of topics to be covered, staff and external assessors were concerned at a lack
of detail around the kind of training to be offered.
20. Staff sought letters of support from Whakaata Māori and Radio Waatea, and both organisations provided
letters of tautoko. Staff also held a hui with the applicants to discuss further details of the training. Staff was
assured by both the level of research the applicants had done into journalism qualifications as well as the
discussions they are having with the Western Institute of Technology in New Plymouth about supporting the
programme.
21. There is also an assurance that local iwi are supportive of the programme and wil look to support cadets into
employment post the training.
under the Official Information Act
22.
Staff raised these
concerns with the applicants who agreed they would realign their budget within the current ask.
23. Assessors were unanimous that there is a need to support Māori journalism development to meet the pace of
growth in the sector and this proposal - while targeted at a specific regional need - will also feed the overall
national Māori media ecosystem.
Funding is recommended up to $395,000
Released
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Disability: Our Voices
Attitude Pictures
$142,520
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
24. To upskill two young disabled people so they can ultimately take their rightful place in newsrooms of Aotearoa.
Funding wil extend the training of one current PIJF funded intern and provide coaching for a second intern
who lives with disability.
General Assessment 25. Attitude Pictures has an 18-year history of producing video and written content highlighting the lived
experiences of the 1.1 mil ion New Zealanders living with a disability.
26. In Round 1 of the PIJF, Attitude Pictures was funded to deliver the Disability Roadshow and to support the
development of one young disabled person to become a writer and digital producer.
27. This proposal builds on the success of these two aligned projects and addresses a clearly identified need to
further build the capacity of the disabled sector so disabled people can tel their own stories, upholding the
mantra “nothing about us without us”.
28. Attitude plans to train two young disabled people (who are undertaking or have undertaken a course of study
in media) so they can ultimately take their place in local newsrooms in future.
29. The proposal is to
30. As part of the application, Attitude seeks $520 to send
to a two-day advanced course on editing,
to train in premiere pro.
has identified
aims to record and edit his own videos giving
highly
employable skills. Across the next 12 months, Attitude will also work with app developers to get a “text to
talk” app that will deliver
’s “voice”
31. Attitude proposes to appoint a second young person with a disability to train alongside
and will advertise
to fill this position in September with the internship to start in January 2023.
32. The trainers will include journalist mentors
and
, both of whom have
lectured in journalism. Broadcast/video journalism training will be provided by
along with veteran
broadcast journalist
and Attitude Digital Manager,
.
33. The interns wil also be guided to deliver a suite of content for the
Attitude Live online platforms which will
eventual y build to being shared with Attitude’s media partner, NZME.
34. Anticipated outputs are:
under the Official Information Act
•
2 x weekly written blogs on issues relating to disability
•
1 x weekly video interview with leading members of the disability community
•
2 x social media content using and promoting Attitude content
•
1 x monthly Video reports from events in the disabled community
•
Original videos developing the interns’ skills as reporter/ presenter.
Staff Opinion
35. The disability community is significantly underserved by mainstream media and is regarded by the United
Nations as the most
Released marginalised group in society. There are entrenched attitudes and bias towards aspiring
disabled journalists and digital producers.
36. The Government’s new Whaikaha - Ministry for Disabled People (launched July 2022) seeks to elevate the
voices of disabled people, to ensure they are represented in New Zealand society. But it is only possible if
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disabled journalists and storytellers can access fair training and opportunities to hold space in the media
sector, building the capacity of disabled people to tell their own stories, and presenting their perspectives on
the key issues experienced by their community.
37. This proposal will be a small step towards that goal and assessors were enthusiastic about supporting it with
one assessor pointing out
“There's no doubt this area is neglected in the NZ media and finding ways to open
up the 'mainstream' to other voices like this feels like a valuable and justifiable initiative.”
38. While the training plan is not detailed, the calibre of the trainers gives staff confidence the interns will receive
an excellent programme of training.
39. The stories already produced by
as part of
training demonstrate the progress has made
and the impact of this training.
40. Staff believes the smal investment sought by this proposal wil have much wider impacts not only for the
interns involved but also in lifting the visibility of journalism in the disability community and beyond.
Funding
is recommended up to $142,520
Agri-journalist mentorship X2
GlobalHQ Limited
$25,000
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
41. To create an introduction to the world of Agri-journalism for two students and add a youth perspective with
the content they wil create during their mentorship.
General Assessment
42. GlobalHQ/AgriHQ is New Zealand’s leading farming media company with agricultural newspapers, magazines,
digital media, educational services, market analyses and community platforms.
43. The applicant contends there is a problem that young people need to better understand and engage with the
primary sector giving them insight and opportunities into a $52b export sector. It says education and a healthy
agrimedia sector is the answer.
44. The proposal is to set up a mentorship programme for two tertiary students studying agricultural related
degrees (one in the North Island and one in the South) introducing them to the world of agri-journalism.
under the Official Information Act
45. Students would receive 12 months of mentoring from the Farmers Weekly sub-editor, editor and digital editor
and be paid (on a per word basis) to produce stories for farmersweekly.co.nz and social media.
46. They would also receive expenses paid attendance at a minimum of two significant industry conferences
(Primary Industries Summit, E Tipu BOMA or Oceania 2035) plus Fieldays at Mystery Creek.
47. Outputs would include a minimum of 10 stories and production of a monthly podcast hosted by the students
targeting a youth audience.
48.
Released
Staff Opinion
49. Rural journalism is often at the heart of social cohesion in regional and local communities, which is why staff
believes that agri-journalism meets the criteria of public interest journalism.
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50. This proposal has two main benefits in helping encourage students into agri-journalism while also bringing a
youth voice to an important sector of New Zealand society and economy.
51. Assessors noted the omission of any reference to cultural context or importance within the mentorship
training and felt this should be addressed with - for example - an opportunity to factor in the growing Māori
rural economy in the regions. Staff will advise the applicant of this assessment note and recommendation.
52. There was concern from assessors that this type of mentorship might not be attractive to students already
undertaking university study and staff believe contract initiation should be contingent on confirmation cadets
have been engaged.
53. Given the low cost of the programme and the potential to inspire interest in journalism as a career within the
regions, funding is recommended up to $25,000
Chinese Journalism Cadetship Programme
Go Global Ltd Limited $ 137,280
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
54. In-house training programme for two Chinese journalism cadets.
General Assessment 55. Go Global Ltd, based in Auckland, has been producing Chinese language local news and current affairs under
the banner Go Kiwi and Kiwi Daily for nine years.
56. With half a million subscribers, Go Kiwi claims to reach
Chinese New Zealanders, an
audience who are underserved by mainstream media.
57. It reaches its audience via WeChat, YouTube, Bilibili and TikTok.
58. This application seeks to provide a one-year in-house training programme for two cadets to increase the
quantity and quality of trusted news content for Chinese audiences.
59. Go Global says the proposed training programme is in line with the PIJF's aim of encouraging a robust and
sustainable media sector particularly in terms of providing journalists with diverse voices given there are few,
if any, alternative training pathways.
60. The applicant outlines a detailed training plan across a range of in-house modules including:
under the Official Information Act
• NZ Chinese Media and Chinese Community 101
• Interview skills with Chinese community
• Writing for Chinese audiences
• Video journalism skills
• Journalism ethics.
61. The training programme will include external training consultants including
- Māori Cultural
Consultant,
– Investigative Journalism Consultant, and
– Media Law Consultant.
62.
Released
External training modules will include:
• Māori cultural competency
• Investigative journalism
• Media law
63. On-the-job training will see cadets providing content for Go Kiwi sites of approximately 100 articles or videos
across the year.
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64. Go Global is a member of the NZ Media Council.
Staff Opinion
65. The PIJF is committed to supporting an independent and trusted Chinese language news sector that can serve
Chinese New Zealand audiences and this project speaks to that goal by building both the capacity and
capability of the workforce.
66. Training is the prime purpose of this proposal rather than content production, and staff believes the GoGlobal
team is committed to ensuring any content produced by cadets meets the standards of New Zealand
journalism including editorial independence.
67. Go Global says due to the impact of COVID-19, Chinese language media in New Zealand has struggled and
there is little room to invest in the training of new journalists. Furthermore, there is currently no journalism
training programme that could upskill Chinese language journalists.
68. Staff notes that the training modules reflect the specific needs of Chinese audiences and cultural assessor
Richard Leung was generally in favour of this proposal, believing upskilling Chinese journalists would be vital
to improving the overall health and vitality of the sector.
69. Staff and assessors were impressed by the detailed nature of the training programme and the calibre of the
external trainers.
70.
, National Director of Asian Family Services wrote,
“I
would like to highlight that Go Kiwi has been outstanding around the ethnic media space. . . Not only does Go
Kiwi unify their audience through quality content, but through the promotion of resources and support
available for the Chinese community.”
71. Race Relations Commissioner, Meng Foon, also sent a letter of support stating,
“I have known Lilian and Philip
for about 8 years, they play a key part in promoting and socialising stories of the Tairawhiti to the wider Asian
audience during my time as Mayor 2001 to 2019. I have found them both to be professional, accountable and
we have a great relationship.”
72. Staff believes the budget is reasonable and
73. Chinese residents now make up 5.3% of the New Zealand population and yet they remain underserved by
mainstream media, as evidenced by NZ On Air’s own 2021 Asian Media Use in Aotearoa report. This proposal
provides a positive step towards better representation of Chinese audiences by developing more journalists
who can authentically tell their stories, helping create greater engagement with New Zealand society.
Funding
under the Official Information Act
is recommended up to $137,280
Cadetships for Central Students
Inland App Company
$ 7,800
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
Released
74. Cadetship to encourage senior high school students to experience journalism as a career option.
General Assessment 75. The Central App is a hyper-local news and information app based in Cromwel with a staff of four.
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76. The Central App covers the Central Otago District, New Zealand’s most inland region covering nearly
10,000km2 with the country’s lowest density having a resident population of just 23,528 people.
77. Owner
was approached by two Dunstan High School students in Alexandra seeking work
experience ahead of beginning tertiary studies in journalism. The students want to build an established
portfolio of stories and work experience.
78. The proposal suggests the cadets will work as part of the Central App team for one year, each producing one
story a week for a payment of $50 per story. That payment covers two hours work at $25 per hour. The total
budget allows for $5,200 for student costs and $1,820 to cover training and support costs.
79. The students wil be given feedback, encouragement and assistance as required from the Central App team
along with the support of Dunstan High School staff including the principal and media teacher.
80. While the primary platform for the student’s work wil be on the Central App, Dunstan High School has
committed to publishing the work on its platforms including the school newsletter, website, TikTok and
social media.
Staff Opinion
81. The proposal has a number of benefits not only for the two students involved but also in bringing a youth voice
to an isolated geographic area with little youth representation in media. It may also encourage other young
people to look at the career of journalism further building a pipeline for a highly stretched regional workforce.
82. The kinds of stories the cadets will bring to The App intend to encourage local youth to actively participate in
their community by lifting the visibility of issues affecting them.
83. The association with Dunstan High School is demonstrated through a letter of support
, who writes
“I see this as an exciting chance for some of our senior students to fol ow their passion
under the tutelage of knowledgeable adults currently working in this sector. This is also an opportunity to raise
the awareness for other Dunstan students of pathway options associated with this line of work and I certainly
see this as real-world application of the multitude of writing and wider communication work students do at
school.”
84. Staff believes the fact the cadetship was suggested by students shows they are engaged and likely to make
the most of the opportunity.
85. The PIJF has supported other projects focused on youth journalism as a way of building a career pipeline into
the sector (
t2T, Kea Kids News). For the small cost involved, this project has the potential to not only support
that pipeline, but also help meet the needs of an underserved youth audience in an isolated area.
Funding is
recommended up to $7,800.
The Next Page – Editors
The Spinoff
$201,036
under the Official Information Act
Key personnel
Title/s
Relevant Past Work
Synopsis
86. The Next Page for Editors is a 10-month cross-platform initiative supporting and developing the next
generation of editors in Aotearoa. It follows on from the
Next Page, a PIJF-funded mentorship scheme for
writers across a group of magazines, run by The Spinoff.
Released
General Assessment 87. This application points out the importance of editors to the magazine sector, and that there are very few
training opportunities for new editors, or development and networking opportunities for established ones.
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88. The original Next Page was a full-time work placement for young writers, but this scheme is aimed at working
editors, and is instead a series of four weekend wānanga, with the aim of increasing skills, networks, and
industry knowledge. In this way it is more similar to the NZ Geographic’s PIJF-funded
Photo Aotearoa, a
successful industry development project for working photojournalists.
89. There wil not be content outcomes, but the proposal mentions open-access documentation to share that will
benefit the wider industry. These learnings developed during the workshops could include for example, an
overview of legal issues when editing through to a suggested process when media complaints are made.
90. The wānanga will be led by The Spinoff, in partnership with North & South, Metro, NZ Geographic, E-Tangata,
Pantograph Punch, and Ensemble.
91. Up to 15 editors can be included. Some will come from these partner organisations, and invitations will be
extended to other magazines, with a focus on diversity.
92. The wānanga will include masterclasses and workshops run by national and international experts. Proposed
topics include editing from a legal perspective and innovation in storytelling.
93. The application has a strong focus on public interest journalism and how editors contribute to that, and how
this project aims to enhance the diversity of the magazine sector by increasing the skil set of young editors
from diverse groups.
Staff Opinion
94. There was strong support from assessors for this proposal, with praise for a pan-sector collaboration that will
develop skills in an area that is currently lacking in training. One said,
“I think it meets a definite need for
industry development and the ability for international experts to reach wider media is very useful.”
95. Given the quality of the workshops and wānanga exhibited in the initial Next Page scheme, staff believes it
would be valuable to have the resources from this follow-up scheme shared with the wider industry.
96. Assessors were also pleased to see the diverse group of partners included and the intention to include
smal er/student publications and foster representation in editorial roles.
97. While the proposal outlined a commitment to a foundational workshop for all editors on mātauranga Māori
and a quota of at least 20% of participants being Māori, assessors were concerned at the lack of Māori
involvement in the application personnel thus far. The applicant states the programme wil be designed in
consultation with the partners as well as members of The Spinoff team who have demonstrated expertise in
creating culturally safe spaces for Māori, Pacific, and Asian communities. Staff is confident The Spinoff will
deliver on these commitments.
98. This project is the only application to the PIJF focusing on magazine editors and with such widespread support
from magazines it is an effective way to upskill a group that have a considerable impact on public interested
under the Official Information Act
journalism outcomes.
Funding is recommended up to $201,036.
ANNEX A: PIJF INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED IN THIS ROUND
Project Name
Company
$ Requested
$ Recomm
Result
Te Ia Ka Oho
Te Korimako o
$395,000
$395,000
Approved – Panel recommends
Taranaki
funding approval
Released
Disability: Our Voices
Attitude
$142,520
$142,520
Approved – Panel recommends
Pictures
funding approval
Agri journalist Mentorships
GlobalHQ
$25,000
$25,000
Approved – Panel recommends
funding approval
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Chinese Journalism Cadetship Go Global Ltd
$137,280
$137,280
Approved – Panel recommends
Programme
funding approval
Cadetships for Central
Inland App
$7,800
$7,800
Approved – Panel recommends
students
Company
funding approval
The Next Page - Editors
The Spinoff
$201,036
$201,036
Approved – Panel recommends
funding approval
under the Official Information Act
Released
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Document Outline
