Herald duo make the news with top awards

Matt Nippert has been named EY Business Journalist of the Year.

New Zealand Herald journalist Matt Nippert has been named EY Business Journalist of the Year, adding to his recent win at the Canon Media Awards where he was named Business Reporter of the Year.

At the awards event, hosted by accounting firm EY, Nippert also scooped the category award for Best Business News with a winning portfolio that included work on Mark Hotchin and Hanover Finance, Auckland businessman Alex Swney's $4 million theft and teen star Lorde being worth $11 million at the age of 18.

EY partner Alan Judge said Nippert's work was an "outstanding example" of how excellent investigative and communication skills could connect all players in the market - from regulators to employees, shareholders and customers.

"These stories demonstrate that business journalism is not an academic, siloed affair," he said.

Now in its second year, the awards recognise success in business journalism across five categories including best commentary, features, news, radio and young business journalist.

From these finalists, Nippert was chosen as the overall winner, with Rebecca Macfie from the Listener the runner up.

Business Herald reporter Holly Ryan was named EY Young Business Journalist of the year.

Another judge, Nicola Legat, an award-winning feature writer, and former editor of Metro and former publishing director for Random House, said the quality of entries in the Young category was outstanding.

Holly Ryan.

Business Herald editor Liam Dann was a finalist for the Best Business Commentary section, which was won by Gareth Vaughan of Interest.co.nz.

This year the awards attracted more than 30 entrants from across New Zealand's business sector from large daily newspapers through to industry magazines and radio, and were judged by EY New Zealand chairman Rob McLeod, former journalists and editors Nicola Legat and Reg Birchfield and EY partner Alan Judge.

As well as being runner up for the year, Macfie also won the award for Best Business Features and NBR Radio journalist Jenny Ruth won the award for Best Business Radio Reporting for her work at Radio New Zealand.