The Howick and Pakuranga Times took third place as best all-round newspaper in the annual New Zealand Community Newspapers Association awards at the weekend.
It finished behind runner-up The Scene and winner The Star. Judges said of the Times’ entry: “A newspaper that covers all its patch well and has a lively letters column demonstrating excellent engagement with its community. A notch above other, similar community papers in the field.”
Eastlife magazine (which belongs to the Times’ sister company Times House Publishing) won best front page in the feature/lifestyle category as an associate member. Its sister publication Rural Living was runner-up.
Judges said of Eastlife: “A striking photograph … up close and personal with a gannet. A most eye-catching cover.”
Of Rural Living they said: “This cover tells a rural story. Great teasers covering a range of ‘down-on-the-farm’ activities along with a back-up pic of te aged bus which could have seen school service after years on the road carrying passengers for NZ Road Services…and two lucky country kids enjoying a rare ice cream treat in the foreground.”
Rural Living was also runner-up in the best all-round lifestyle magazine (associate) category.
Jon Rawlinson, a journalist with Eastlife was runner-up in the best senior sports journalist category. Jon’s portfolio was also commended in best senior feature/lifestyle journalist category.
The judge said: “He had a strong portfolio of local sporting personalities and the pieces on Black Cap Colin Munro, former Olympic weightlifter Precious McKenzie and pro golfer Ryan Fox an enjoyable read.”
Long-time Times photographer Wayne Martin was highly commended in the best news photographer category and again in the best feature/lifestyle photographer category for photos for Eastlife.
Clare McGillivray, art director for the Times group, won the best individual advertising portfolio category (class 1) for an entry from the Botany and Ormiston Times. Judges said: “This entry has a great variety of styles with great use of fonts and colours suited to the advertiser.”
The Howick and Pakuranga Times was highly commended in the community involvement category (class 2).
The judge said: “The Times never shy of the good fight, sets out to save the locally-prized viewshafts to the Hauraki Gulf from the cenotaph on Stockade Hill where high-rise development is threatening an important local sense of place.
“More than $31,000 in fundraising later and the embattled ratepayers’ group’s legal costs are covered; the fight for recognition of the viewshafts goes on – even if the development itself could not be stopped.”
