Latest News from Newsroom
Newsroom
13 hours ago
- General
- Newsroom
Daily crossword, Monday 2 June
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Newsroom
13 hours ago
- General
- Newsroom
Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 2 June
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Newsroom
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsroom
Our sports queen honoured by the King
Suzanne McFadden has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King's Birthday Honours for her services to sports journalism and women. In this Q&A, the founder of our LockerRoom section and passionate advocate for better participation, media coverage and recognition for women in sport, reflects on a 40-year labour of love. How hard was it starting out in the 80s as the only woman in the room in sports departments, press boxes and media conferences? Initially it was tough to get a foot in the door. I tried a couple of times, but naively I had no idea how difficult it was as a young female to get a start in sport, which was the only job I ever wanted. It wasn't until a defendant in a district court case I was covering threatened to kill me, that the Herald bosses finally agreed to transfer me from news to the sports department – just in time for the 1990 Commonwealth Games. I was there when gymnast Nikki Jenkins, then 14 years old, won gold on the vault, and her parents had been my PE teachers. I stayed working in sport for the Herald for 10 years – and I had incredible opportunities to cover events around the world, like the America's Cup. And even though I was the only woman in the department through that decade, it felt more like being part of a tight sports team. There was one time, though, at a sailing regatta, I was made to feel like the 'new girl' who'd only be there for 10 minutes… 30 years later… Did you get pigeon-holed into writing about women's sports? In my first job, at the Bay of Plenty Times, I was a general news reporter, but the sports editor, Kevin Savage, asked me to cover the local netball competition. I was not impressed – I'd only ever played 10 minutes of netball at school (fell over, grazed my knees on the asphalt, and never walked onto a netball court again). But he told me to write about the people more than the sport, and that's become my compass. Sir Terry McLean, who I was privileged to work alongside when I first started in sports journalism, once told me, 'The human story is the best story'. So even if I was assigned to women's sport, it was okay, because I was weaving the stories of interesting and often outstanding people into the match reports. Have you ever had a woman boss? Who are your female mentors? I've never had a female boss in sports reporting, but some of the best editors I've worked with in my freelancing career have been women. The wonderful Carroll du Chateau at Canvas taught me how to craft a feature story and was an incredible mentor. Michelle Crawshaw always trusted me with fascinating assignments. And my cousin Fiona Rotherham, then editor of Unlimited magazine, made business stories relatable and human. Among the women I look up to today is Shirley Hooper – vice president of World Netball and heavily involved in artistic swimming in New Zealand – and also a cousin. Storytelling runs in our McClean genes. Speaking of, my parents were both great mentors – Dad gave my sister and I our love of watching sport, and Mum taught me how to write. Ashley Stanley and Suzanne McFadden at Eden Park. Photo: Paul Enticott How much has it changed in sports journalism for young women? I honestly don't think the dial has moved enough. It's just as hard to get a job in a sports newsroom now as it was back in 1986. There are some excellent female sports reporters right now – Dana Johannsen at RNZ is a multiple-time sports journalist of the year; the TVNZ sports team has a strong female representation, including the super-talented Jordan Oppert. Yet we're still the minority, and the only way that's going to change is with more female sports editors. Something I've been really proud we've been able to do through LockerRoom is introducing more female voices to sports writing, and giving two women – Ashley Stanley and Merryn Anderson – scholarships to work at Newsroom. Through these wāhine, I discovered I love mentoring. What's your approach when setting out to interview someone? Great question! For a LockerRoom long read (you know all my stories are long!) I research, but not to the point where I think I know everything about the person. There needs to be that element of curiosity, where I want to learn more for the readers, so I can share something new. And I never call it an interview – it's always a chat. And there's no such thing as a stupid question. Suzanne McFadden first wrote about the late Sir Peter Blake's America's Cup red socks superstition. What stories do you look back on with most pride? What makes you happiest about stories you find and publish? During the 1995 America's Cup in San Diego, I wrote a story about Team New Zealand's superstitions on Black Magic – Sir Russell Coutts always the last man on the boat, and Sir Peter Blake wearing his lucky red socks. The rest is history. I've loved telling stories about women that show how resilient they are, and how much more they have to do to be successful. Sportswomen who've returned to the top as mums, especially in the 'From Here to Maternity' series in LockerRoom. What makes me happiest about publishing stories? When one person tells you they read it, and it helped them through something they were facing. Like the RED-S stories we've told over the years. If you can make a difference in one person's life, it's a win. Your RED-S stories opened a lot of people's eyes. How'd that story come about? American athlete Mary Cain broke her silence on the mistreatment she received while she was training under the all-male support team at the Nike Oregon Project, and how the win-at-all-costs mentality had made her ill. She had all the symptoms of RED-S, a syndrome I hadn't really heard of, but it turned out there were Kiwi athletes who weren't fuelling their bodies to match the energy they were expending. The more we wrote about RED-S, the more athletes came forward with their own health battles. Hopefully, we've helped some young women spot the signs in time. Are women in sport getting a fair crack now at representation, competition, professionalism, payment, crowd support, media? Look, the three World Cups hosted by New Zealand in 2022 and '23 were phenomenal for women's sport here – they opened so many eyes to just how entertaining and enthralling women's sport is. The media coverage of women's sport spiked to 28 percent – higher than I ever expected to see in my career. But things have slipped away since then – it's as though we need the big events, like the Olympics, to remind the public how talented our female athletes are. Covid hasn't helped the situation – if there's a funding cut, it's most likely the women's programme in a sport will be the first to feel it. Pay equity in some sports is still a pipe dream, and there aren't enough women's coaches at the top level of most sports. There's still so much work to do. But LockerRoom has had amazing readership, as recently as the past fortnight, which highlights that people still want to read interesting stories about women in sport. McFadden with the great Black Fern Portia Wickliffe Woodman. Photo: Supplied Who would you most want to spend time with, write about – for LockerRoom or for a book? That's a tough question! Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Emma Twigg and Sophie Devine immediately come to mind. Writing a book is hard yakka though, and I don't think I'll be rushing back into one. But the two books I've written, Striking Gold and Honey, are two of my proudest achievements (alongside my two sons, and two grandsons, obviously). And, what was your first thought when Government House sent you word of your MNZM nomination? It was a Friday, I think, and I wasn't feeling 100 percent, so I'd just had a nap. I woke up to an email from Government House and I immediately panicked. I thought it must be a long weekend, and this email was the media list of honour recipients, and I'd quickly have to prepare a LockerRoom story for Monday! Then I opened it, read it, and read it again and bawled my eyes out. A recognition like this is 'ginormous', as my four-year-old grandson would say. I feel incredibly proud, humbled, and grateful to everyone who's guided me along this crazy path, and all who've come with me. And that includes you, Tim. Thank you.
Newsroom
13 hours ago
- Business
- Newsroom
MediaWorks' back to basics approach working
MediaRoom column: After a dismal few years MediaWorks looks like it is getting some of its mojo back. The company's audience share in the 25 to 54 age group, known in the industry as the money zone, is at its highest since 2020 and, at 58 percent, is well ahead of its rival NZME on 31percent. Strong performances from brands like Mai FM, The Breeze, More FM and The Rock have driven increased revenues as well as ratings. In its just-announced result for the year ending December 31, 2024, radio and digital revenue improved by $4m or nearly 3 percent to $150m. It was a good effort in a tight advertising market, but the rising star of the business is the 'out-of-home' (billboard) arm. Revenue was up nearly $6m (12 percent) to $51m. An increasing amount of that revenue came from programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) sales which jumped 83 percent compared with the market average of 23 percent. pDOOH is an automated system where buyers can set the conditions (ie. time of day, location, weather conditions etc.) under which they would buy slots and when providers agree the ads are automatically sent to digital billboards. Given that the radio market is mature and close to being maxed-out in revenue terms the out-of-home business is increasingly important to MediaWorks. Unlike other forms of media, out-of-home can't be blocked, muted or skipped. If you are in the vicinity of a billboard you are going to see it. MediaWorks' chairman, Barclay Nettlefold, who represents the owners, Australian private equity firm Quadrant, will be patting himself on the back for appointing Wendy Palmer to the CEO role in August 2023. Nettlefold took himself off the board after Cam Wallace, a former Air New Zealand executive, was appointed CEO in 2021. Wallace's two-year reign was marked by the expensive failure of Today FM. The talkback station was MediaWorks' challenge to Newstalk ZB but failed to fire despite millions being poured into it. After Wallace resigned to take up a role at Qantas, Nettlefold rejoined the board and hired Palmer. Palmer, who had previously been head of radio at MediaWorks when it also owned TV3, is known for her focus on revenue and deep knowledge of commercial radio. So far, Palmer has resisted the temptation to tackle Newstalk ZB head-on like Wallace did. It means a tantalisingly large pot of money is out of reach, but Palmer has stayed focused on the music brands and cut costs. The wages bill is down $2 million year-on-year. The company is still losing money, $16m in the latest financial year, but this is due to the high debt level if carries, a legacy of the company's past. The interest bill for the latest financial year was $20 million. Changing of the PR guard If further proof was needed that the world of public relations consultancies has evolved significantly in New Zealand it came at last week's PRINZ awards. Pead PR won the supreme award for its role in the promoting the world's biggest haka at Eden Park last year and other categories were dominated by newer firms like One Plus One Communications and Special PR. One Plus One won Large Consultancy of the Year. Last year it shared the accolade with Special PR which was runner-up this time. Some of the big-name firms of the past either didn't enter or didn't feature. In the past year, former heavyweight Senate has closed. And major players like Sweeney Vesty, Baldwin Boyle and Network PR don't operate at the scale they once did. Industry leaders Deborah Pead and Claudia Macdonald (Mango Communications) have recently eased back or retired. One Plus One's Kelly Bennett, Max Burt and Special's Kelly Grindle are at the forefront of the generational change flowing through the local PR industry. Anna Cottrell honoured Wellington journalist and documentary maker Anna Cottrell is made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King's Birthday honours list. Cottrell started her career as a TV reporter on 'The South Tonight' a regional news programme in Christchurch in 1978. Her passion for current affairs saw her quickly move to directing longer items on TV One's Close Up. In 1988 Cottrell became a freelance documentary maker and her work focused on the experience of immigrants in New Zealand. Her interest in military history led to a television series on The Great War and the impact it had on people's lives. The five-part series (33 episodes) screened on TV3. Most recently, Cottrell produced Shine On Katherine Mansfield a series about the legacy of New Zealand's famous short story writer. Cottrell, who is known for her dedication to the craft and humility told Newsroom 'I only accepted it [the honour] on the last possible day on behalf of the film crews, editors, graphic designers, and musicians – my colleagues over many years.'
Newsroom
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsroom
King's Honours: From rider to wheelie to dame
Dame Catriona Williams has hand-cycled thousands of kilometres – on the streets of New York, the slopes of Mt Everest, and through a British snowstorm. She's sat in the winner's circle at some of Australasia's grandest horse races. And she's raised millions of dollars through her CatWalk charity. Yet she would trade it all in a heartbeat to dance with her husband, Sam, on her own two feet again. It's a dream that for now remains out of reach, but one that Williams (who refers to herself as a 'wheelie') continues to pursue – for others as much as herself. 'The target is getting that wheelie back on their feet, getting bowel and bladder control – all those things that an able-bodied person takes for granted. Things that would change our world,' says Williams, who's become a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the latest King's Birthday Honours. It's 22 years since a fall from her horse in a competition in Waikato shattered the outstanding equestrian rider's world, breaking her neck and leaving her a C6-7 tetraplegic. And 20 years since she created the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust, to find a cure for paralysis. 'What I've noticed is that as you get older, being in the chair gets harder,' says Williams, now 53. 'I've spent 22 years in the chair, and had a lot of fun on cycles around the world, for fundraisers and with friends. But the end goal is getting function back.' A passionate competitor, who rode at Badminton and Burghley and was aiming for the 2004 Athens Olympics before her accident, Williams has never been one to sit idle. She helps her husband run their Little Avondale thoroughbred stud in the Wairarapa, which has produced a string of Group 1 winning racehorses. She does long charity rides in a hand-cycle: the New York Marathon, Everest Base Camp and late last year, rode 1100km from Scotland to London – during the powerful Storm Bert – to support spinal research in Britian. She's an inspirational speaker, and helps people new to life in a wheelchair. Williams' own charity continues to make strides. CatWalk is just 18 months into a five-year campaign to raise $10.5 million – and it's already reached $7.5 million. 'We're well ahead of our target, but the sooner we can achieve it, we can start focusing on the next goal, which is clinical trials,' Williams says. 'And trials mean real results.' Receiving the damehood, she says, highlights the work her team has done over the past two decades to support local research into spinal cord injuries – and recalls a conversation she once had with Olympic gold medallist Blyth Tait. 'He said, 'Catriona, it's one thing to start these things, but another to keep them going',' she says. 'And that's clearly not done by one girl in a wheelchair whose legs don't move. We have an incredible team who do the nuts and bolts – my role is definitely the flagbearer.' Catriona Williams receives her MNZM insignia in 2014 from then Governor-General, Jerry Mataparae. Williams, who was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2014, was aiming to keep her damehood a secret from her husband until this morning when the list came out. 'He's a very special person in my life, and every now and again, a surprise is good,' she says. Sam recently went through treatment for throat cancer, 'but he's out the other side now'. She's planning more cycling challenges around New Zealand. And she continues to follow her sport – whether it's the New Zealand equestrian riders on the world stage, or proudly watching her two nieces, who've also taken up competitive pony riding. 'It's about turning up, clapping and telling them how clever they are at this stage,' she says, 'because keeping it fun is key.' Here are 11 other women in sport on the 2025 King's Birthday Honours list: Order of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) Sophie Devine: for services to cricket The White Ferns captain and world champion, Devine has been an international cricketer since in 2006; at 17, she was one of the youngest-ever White Ferns. One of the most dominant players in world cricket, the swashbuckling allrounder took on the captaincy in 2020, and led the side through the 2022 World Cup at home, then to a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games that year. Last year she experienced the biggest moment of her career, leading the team to victory at the T20 World Cup for the first time. She holds a string of world cricket records, including the fastest 50 – from 18 balls – in T20 internationals. What people often forget is Devine was also a Black Stick – playing 36 hockey tests between 2009-12. Patria Hume: for services to sports science and injury prevention Professor Hume represented New Zealand in rhythmic gymnastics at world championships, before becoming an international coach and judge in the sport. She then established SportSmart in 1999 – a nationwide sports injury prevention programme for ACC – which was later developed into NetballSmart and RugbySmart. For 25 years, she's been lead reviewer of SportSmart. Hume was the inaugural director of the Sports Performance Research Institute of NZ (SPRINZ) from 2000 to 2009, and led the Global Rugby Health Research programme in 2015, resulting in improved concussion injury awareness around the globe. Through her multiple innovations in sports research, she won the Geoffrey Dyson Award from the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports in 2016. She has also served on the boards of numerous sports organisations, like Drug Free Sport NZ and Sport Medicine NZ. Sarah Walker during the opening of the Otane Primary School bike track in 2021. Sarah Walker: for services to BMX and sports governance After a hugely successful career as a BMX rider, Walker now represents New Zealand on the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A 12-time BMX world champion medallist – including two world titles in 2007 and 2009 – she became New Zealand's first Olympic medallist in the sport, collecting silver at the London 2012 Games. She's mentored many young BMX riders to success offshore. She first got into governance on the IOC Athletes Commission in 2016; as chair of the IOC Steering Committee, she drove the creation of the Athletes' Rights and Responsibilities Declaration. Chairing the IOC AI Working Group, she's also led the creation of the Olympic AI Agenda. She became an Independent IOC member in 2024. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe: for services to rugby A little over a week ago, Woodman-Wickliffe before the top try scorer in Black Ferns 15s history. She was already the top scorer in women's Sevens history. She is rightly considered the GOAT of women's rugby. A netballer with the Mystics, she entered the Go4Gold programme to find New Zealand's top sevens players for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She made the team in 2012, and played a vital role until she retired in 2024. She has won two Olympic golds and one silver, and was crowned World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Decade in 2020. She also helped the Black Ferns win two World Cups in the 15s games, and has come out of retirement to play at this year's World Cup. She has promoted gender equality in sport, encouraged more investment and resources in women's rugby, and provides mentorship and training to young female players. Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) Ellesse Andrews: for services to cycling Four-time Olympic medallist and world champion Andrews has already achieved so much on and off the cycling track in her 25 years. Since setting a world record at the 2017 junior track world championships, she's won three golds and a silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and two golds and two silver at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics combined (which makes her New Zealand's sixth most successful Olympian). In 2023 she became the first New Zealand female sprinter to a win a world title. Through her role in the Athlete Leaders Group, she's been an important advocate for teammates, and a key driver of applying tikanga Māori to Cycling NZ's programme. Gold medalist Ellesse Andrews after the women's keirin final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Lesley Huckins: for services to swimming Huckins has pioneered pathways for women in national and international swimming. The first New Zealand female referee at international level, she has officiated at three Olympics and multiple world championships. During her time as president of Swimming NZ, she spearheaded a period of change in the sport. A dedicated volunteer in Christchurch for over 50 years, she's been a swimming teacher, coach and club committee member. Laurinne Laing: for services to sport and people with intellectual disabilities For 35 years, Laing has volunteered 30 to 40 hours a week at the Special Olympics Howick-Pakuranga club. She has been a sports coordinator, fundraiser and athlete recruiter, as well as guiding athletes and their families. She's served as the club's chair since 2007 and supports other chairs around the country on how to run their clubs. She's also deputy chair of the Special Olympics Upper North Island regional trust. Pauline-Jean Luyten: for services to rugby and the Pacific community A legal professional in Timaru, Luyten has been heavily involved in governance in national and provincial rugby, with a strong influence on Pasifika. She was the first Pacific woman appointed to the South Canterbury union board, and in 2022, the first Pacific woman appointed to the NZ Rugby Board, as an emerging director. She led the development of NZ Rugby's 2024 Pasifika Rugby Strategy to attract and support more Pacific participation in rugby in New Zealand. Luyten is also a peer mentor for NZR's Women in Rugby Governance programme. Suzanne McFadden: for services to sports journalism and women LockerRoom's founding editor, McFadden has been writing on sport for four decades; the author of two sports books, she was NZ Sports Journalist of the Year in 2021. Her proudest achievement since LockerRoom began in 2018 has been introducing more female voices to sports journalism, including mentoring young writers Ashley Stanley and Merryn Anderson through two-year scholarships. Veronica (Ronnie) Thompson: for services to basketball A Tall Fern in the 1980s, Thompson has contributed to basketball in New Zealand for 40 years, as a player, coach and administrator. Having played US college basketball, she represented New Zealand from 1985-88, and captained Wellington team Morehu to a women's national club championship title. She's coached girls and women at all levels, and was an assistant coach of the NZ Basketball Institute, and led Wellington Swish to the 2001 WNBL Championship title. She became a foundation board member of Māori Basketball Aotearoa in 2013 and has held various leadership roles in Wellington Basketball. She was key to developing Sport NZ frameworks to increase Māori participation and leadership in sport and recreation. The Kings Service Medal (KSM) Lily Coleman: for services to the community and sport Coleman and her husband, John, are Kaikohe farmers who have given almost 60 years of voluntary service to their community. Since 1970, she's held various roles with the Kaikohe Athletics and Harriers clubs; she was an official at the NZ Colgate Games; and has fundraised for athletes to compete at all levels. She has also been a swimming coach at the Kaikohe club, where she was secretary and treasurer.
