NZCER / TEFANZ educational media awards announced

MEDIA RELEASE 28 OCTOBER 2005

NZCER / TEFANZ educational media awards announced

Radio New Zealand’s Gael Woods is the winner of the 2005 New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) / Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) Excellence in Educational Journalism award.

A second time winner, having received the inaugural award in 2002, Gael Wood’s winning entry was an Insight documentary aired in May 2005 concerning the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).

Erin Conroy of Television New Zealand won the newly created Emerging Journalist award for her reporting on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, also in May.

The major award carries a prize of $2000, while the winner of the Emerging Journalist category receives $1000.

The judges said Gael Woods provided a clear background to the issue, including the emotive and perceptual differences, separated ideological issues from process and implementation issues, and used a broad range of interviewees, including academics, teachers and students, to ensure the topic was canvassed from different angles. They said she displayed a thorough knowledge of subject and demonstrated good balance in the programme.

Commenting on Erin Conroy’s entry, the judges noted that she had produced a well-rounded and balanced piece of work. The panel acknowledged the time limitations for a television news item, and considered this piece of work a tribute to sound investigative endeavour.

The judges also highly commended three other journalists for pieces of work during the year. They were Hannah Sperber (North & South), Simon Farrell-Green (Metro), and 2003 award winner John Gerritsen (Education Review).

The judges of the awards were NZCER past-Chair Ruth Mansell, Professor Colin Gibbs from the Auckland University of Technology, and Lynne Trenwith, Joint Head of the School of Communications Studies at Manukau Institute of Technology.

The two main criteria for the awards were a significant contribution to community understanding and debate of issues in education, and journalistic excellence. Entries were open to all journalists from the radio, television, print, and electronic media.

The 2004 winner of the award was Ruth Laugesen from the Sunday-Star Times (2004).

ENDS

About NZCER
The New Zealand Council for Educational Research is an independent, educational research organisation which provides educators, students, parents, policy makers and the public with innovative and independent research, analysis, and advice. Established in 1934 through grants from the Carnegie Corporation, it became a statutory body in 1945 and now operates under the NZCER Act 1972 (and amendments). It is not formerly attached to any government department, university or other educational organisation.
For more information, please visit our website www.nzcer.org.nz.

About TEFANZ
The Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand (TEFANZ) provides a national voice for teacher education issues in the political and policy arena. While its members represent providers who offer teacher education programmes at degree or graduate level, TEFANZ does not represent the institutional interests of its members.
It aims to promote the development of research-informed programmes of teacher education, and teaching as a graduate profession. It also focuses on issues of quality in teacher education, with the intention of speaking on behalf of important professional and research-informed issues in education.

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