Daily Post strong in awards

FILE

The Rotorua Daily Post team has put in a strong showing at the annual NZME Regional Awards.

The awards, announced yesterday, recognise the best performances among NZME regional media sites across the country.

Matthew Martin, the Rotorua Daily Post's council and politics reporter, won the hotly contested Senior Reporter of the Year (dailies) category.

His portfolio included the exclusive story of former weather man Tamati Coffey running for election in Rotorua last year, as well as coverage of the Rotorua Lakes Council's controversial Te Arawa Partnership Proposal.

The news team also won the NZME News Service Award and the Online Engagement Award, the latter for its coverage of last August's freak weather event. The team's rolling coverage included photos, video, reader comment and constant updates on the website, Facebook and Twitter.

Katee Shanks of sister publication Whakatane News won Senior Community Reporter of the Year for stories including a gang member barred from attending his son's school camp - a story which gained huge national attention.

The Taupo & Turangi Weekender won the Community Involvement Award for community newspapers.

On the advertising side, Whakatane News won Best New Business Win, Rotorua Daily Post was highly commended for Best-in House Advertisement and Whakatane's Gaye Conway was also highly commended.

Rotorua Daily Post general manager David Mackenzie said it was a fantastic result. "These awards demonstrate what a great team we have here." Editor Scott Inglis said the accolades were well deserved.

"It's a tribute to the individuals and the team as a whole. They all work extremely hard, and are committed to putting out a fantastic paper and a high-quality website."