The second group of Te Rito journalism cadets was welcomed onto Hoani Waititi Marae earlier this month. Photo / File
A groundbreaking journalism cadetship programme that aims to address a shortage of diverse voices in Aotearoa’s newsrooms has won a major international award for Whakaata Māori and several media organisations it collaborates with in New Zealand.
The Te Rito journalism project - a collaboration between Whakaata Māori, Newshub, NZME (which includes the NZ Herald), the Pacific Media Network and Iwi radio, plus several other supporting media organisations - won the International News Media Association award for Best Innovation in Newsroom Transformation at the 2023 Global Media Awards in New York on Saturday.
Veteran journalist Chris Winitana (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāi Tūhoe), one of Te Rito's head tutors, told Te Ao Māori News earlier this month that the initiative supports and upholds Māori journalism and all cultures of New Zealand.
Te Rito head tutor Chris Winitana. Photo / File
“The world is changing and it's changing in a better way than expected. Te Rito, again, is the change we all need in this industry, a change needed in New Zealand for all of us and most importantly for our future.”
Launched in early 2022, Te Rito develops budding Māori and Pasifika journalists and others from different backgrounds and ethnic make-ups through a one-year training programme covering all facets of journalism, including digital, print, radio and broadcast television.
Throughout the programme, the cadets work and train in newsrooms across the country and are mentored by experienced newsroom journalists and operators.
Twenty-one graduates from the first group are now working in newsrooms throughout Aotearoa.
NZ On Air provided funding for a second intake which started earlier this month. More than half of the 12 new cadets in this group are Pasifika from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
