New face for Local Democracy Reporting in Tairāwhiti

Zita Campbell

The Gisborne Herald has welcomed Zita Campbell to our newsroom this week, joining us as part of RNZ’s Local Democracy Reporting programme. 

Zita grew up in Christchurch and gained her first degree in theatre, film and media from the University of Otago. After completing journalism internships abroad, she went on to study for an honours degree in media and communications from Canterbury University and a graduate diploma in religious studies from the University of Otago.

Zita’s work in media and communications has ranged from data journalism and documentary filmmaking to writing theatre reviews and covering communications for conferences and events.

She has covered various topics, ranging from reporting on investigative techniques and research tools for The Global Investigative Journalism conferences, to travel destination guides and yoga practices, which is one of her main hobbies and interests outside journalism.

Zita is passionate about journalism’s role as the Fourth Estate, keeping the powerful accountable.

“It is exciting to be in a position where you can shed light on issues that affect local people, as well as report on all of the positive initiatives that take place but can sometimes be overlooked.”

Zita has explored and worked within many different cultural settings in India, South Africa, Norway and the United States, and is eager to connect with the many different backgrounds and perspectives here.

The Local Democracy Reporting programme is funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. The key goal of the LDR programme is to strengthen coverage of local authorities, rūnanga, and other similar organisations to bring more regional stories into the national news.