Sarah Bicknell
For 23-year-old Maria Priestley, one of the best things about moving to Hawke's Bay is simply not getting blown back in the door when she leaves for work in the morning.
The new Hawke's Bay Today readers' reporter left windy Wellington behind to take up the position left by Alice
Hudson, who has moved to Auckland.
Formerly a journalist for Wellington weekly Capital Times, Maria decided on a career in journalism after a BA in History and Media Studies at Auckland University and working as a researcher for the Equal Employment Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission in 2003.
"Journalism was a career I had always been interested in but Judy McGregor, who was the first ever female editor in New Zealand, gave me the push."
So in 2003, the New Plymouth native packed her bags and moved home to study for a diploma in journalism at the Western Institute of Technology under the tutelage of veteran writer, Jim Tucker.
After her first story found its way to the front page of Taranaki's Daily News, she was hooked.
"It was about some young children making peace cranes for the anniversary of Hiroshima. It was a real rush to see my name on the front page and ever since then I've leaned towards community stories," said Maria.
As readers' reporter, Maria is looking forward to continuing this tradition and believes the stories of "real people" often have more impact on a community and offer journalists a rare opportunity to focus on good news instead of just the bad.
Teamed up with partner Jamie Morton, who writes for the Napier Courier, Maria is looking forward to weekend pilgrimages around the Bay's hotspots, starting of course with a compulsory introduction to at least a few of the wineries.
