Journalism award for Māori media grad
Te Karere reporter Te Okiwa McLean of Ngāi Tūhoe has won a Broadcast Media Award at the 2018 New Zealand Respiratory Awards.
Te Okiwa won in the television category for a news piece featuring Dr Jim Reid, focused on asthma awareness and the need for urgent action to control the high prevalence of asthma amongst Māori and Pacific youth, affecting one in five young people.
Chief Executive of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, Vicky Jones, says that the article was chosen by the judges as the winning entry in its category for its accuracy and balance.
For Te Okiwa, who has been working as a reporter for two years, the award came as a surprise.
“When I first found out that I was nominated, I was honoured, as this is the first award I’ve been nominated for in my short career. To actually win in this category means so much to me, my whānau and my people,” he said.
The New Zealand Respiratory Awards is an initiative of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, which seeks to develop and support respiratory health best practice through research, training and education. This year’s award ceremony is being held in Wellington on 19 April.