The Waikato Times wins Canon Newspaper of the Year at Canon 2016 Media Awards; photographer Stephen Parker wins coveted Supreme award
A regional newspaper was the surprise champion announced at the Canon Media Awards in Wellington.
The Waikato Times and its weekend edition were named Canon Newspaper of the Year, heading off larger metropolitan daily and weekend newspapers. Waikato Times also won Weekly Newspaper of the Year.
Winners of the Newspaper of the Year categories, for the second year running, were The New Zealand Herald (+30,000 circulation) and Taranaki Daily News (- 30,000 circulation).
Staged by the Newspaper Publishers’ Association with Canon New Zealand as principal sponsor, the awards recognise excellence across newspaper, magazine and digital media. They were celebrated by 450 people at a black tie dinner at Te Papa National Museum in Wellington.
Judging the newspapers were News Corporation Australia’s news chief Campbell Reid and West Australian newspaper editor Brett McCarthy. They said the Waikato Times stood out this year for ambition, bold design and provocative journalism aimed directly at its readership.
HOME magazine took out Magazine of the Year while Paraparaumu-based Kapi-Mana News was judged Community Newspaper of the Year.
Among the digital categories, RNZ’s offshoot, The Wireless won Website of the Year.
Leading individual awards went to Matt Nippert, The New Zealand Herald, Reporter of the Year; Stephen Parker, Rotorua Daily Post, Photographer of the Year; Mike White, North & South, Feature Writer of the Year; Luke Appleby, TVNZ, Scoop of the Year; and Rachel Stewart, Taranaki Daily News, Manawatu Standard, Opinion Writer of the Year.
Editorial Leader of the Year was NZ Doctor managing editor Barbara Fountain, while NZ Listener senior feature writer Rebecca Macfie was awarded the annual Wolfson Fellowship to study at Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
The awards attracted 1,603 entries encompassing more than 7,000 individual pieces of work across 71 categories assessed by 46 judges in five countries.
Kim Conner, managing director of Canon New Zealand, says the calibre of this year’s submissions truly reflects what it means to be the best of New Zealand journalism.
Says Conner: “On behalf of Canon, I am thrilled to congratulate all the worthy recipients acknowledged at this year’s Canon Media Awards,”
Photographer of the Year at the Canon Media Awards went to Stephen Parker from NZME regional newspaper, Rotorua Daily Post.
Not only did Parker receive this photographic accolade at the awards dinner in Wellington, he also won Best Portrait and Best Sports Photo.
Parker’s thought-provoking portfolio included a local Kaumātua’s funeral, deprived children warming themselves in front of an oven, and action shots in the water.
The photographic judging panel included former New Zealand photographers Mark Baker and Rob Taggart, now with the American news agency AP in London and Jakarta respectively, and former New Zealand Herald photographer and editorial manager Wayne Harman.
Conner says that Canon was proud to support New Zealand’s most outstanding photojournalists for the 11th year running at the Canon Media Awards.
Says Conner: “These winning images highlight the incredible photographic talent we have across the country and it’s fantastic to see them recognised by the industry at this wonderful event.”
Among the many other accolades, Waikato Times/Stuff.co.nz photographer Peter Drury won Best News Photo for coverage of the Nepal earthquake, while fellow Fairfax photographer Grant Matthew was judged Junior Photographer of the Year.
Best Environmental Photo, sponsored by Seafood New Zealand, went to underwater photographer Richard Robinson for a close-up photo of a blue shark in South Pacific waters while his series on mako sharks, filmed off Auckland’s west coast, won Best Photo Essay.
The top video award went to Iain McGregor of The Press for his gripping portfolio, which included Thai children’s fights and use of 1080 poison.
These photographic and video awards are part of the national Canon Media Awards, staged by the Newspaper Publishers’ Association with Canon New Zealand as principal sponsor.