AUT graduate brings good news to Auckland

AUT graduate brings good news to Auckland's Pasifika community

A Pasifika newspaper highlighting the positive stories happening within Auckland's Pasifika community hit stores and churches around Auckland last month.

Pacific Community News editor Taberannang Korauba moved to Auckland from Kiribati with his family of five two years ago and struggled to break into the New Zealand journalism industry, despite over 10 years of radio journalism experience.

While looking for work as a journalist Korauba noticed a real need for a positive reflection of Auckland's Pasifika community in the media.

"There's always a lot of bad press about Pasifika people and the areas we live in, which begins to build a very negative picture. What the Pasifika community needed was a voice which could tell the positive stories and celebrate successes within the community," Korauba says.

The result, Pacific Community News, is a monthly community newspaper, and the only Pasifika community newspaper in the country.

Korauba, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Communication Studies Honours degree from AUT University this week, says starting a newspaper while trying to support his family has been difficult, but seeing the reaction from people in the Pasifika community had made all the effort worthwhile.

"I go to interview people and they are so thankful and appreciative, but also very surprised that I want to hear about their stories. They were pleased that someone was bringing these positive stories to light so that others in the community will be encouraged to follow suit."

Pacific Community News has a circulation between one and two thousand and is distributed to churches, businesses and stores in Manurewa, Otara, East Tamaki and and Mangere.

Korauba completed his Bachelor of Communication Studies in Fiji, and through an AUT/PIMA Pasifika Media Scholarship undertook his honours at AUT.

His honours dissertation explored issues concerning media freedom in Kiribati.

AUT University Spring Graduation:

Thursday 16 October
10am Procession commences from Colmar Brunton House on The Strand (near Hurstmere Road/Lake Road intersection
11am Health and Environmental Sciences
2pm Applied Humanities/Te Ara Poutama
4.30pm Design and Creative Technologies

Friday 17 October
10am Procession commences from Colmar Brunton House
11am Business Postgraduate, Bachelor of Business, surnames A-K
2pm Business Diplomas, Bachelor of Business surnames L-Z

For more information about AUT University's spring graduation, please visit:

http://www.aut.ac.nz/students/student_services/graduation/

ENDS

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