New Zealand Media & Entertainment Looking for Open Justice Reporter (Fixed Term Contract) at Auckland Central, Auckland, New Zealand Full Time

Are you looking for an exciting and rewarding new challenge? Got a passion for covering courts and justice-related stories that really matter?

If so, this is the perfect job for you.

We are looking for talented and passionate multimedia journalists to join NZME’s ground-breaking Open Justice – Te Pātiti team.

An open and transparent legal system is one of the hallmarks of a well-functioning democracy. Court reporting is an integral part of this – court reporters are the eyes and ears of the wider public.

It’s a highly specialised and time-consuming discipline, and that’s made it hard to resource amid well-documented challenges facing the global news industry. NZME has addressed this with our Open Justice – Te Pātiti initiative that has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Public Interest Journalism Fund, administered by New Zealand on Air.

We have a large team of Open Justice reporters throughout the country. An opportunity has now come up in our Auckland office.

The Role Involves

• Covering a full range of courts and tribunals: civil and criminal; employment and environment; human rights and immigration, and many more;
• Producing agenda-setting journalism that explains the “why” as much as the “what”;
• Holding law-makers to account;
• Championing the rights of everyone involved in the system.

What You’ll Do

You will produce multimedia content (text, video and audio) for New Zealand Herald and Newstalk ZB digital and print platforms, NZME’s five daily regional and 15 community mastheads and formal programme partners – Radio New Zealand and Top South Media. Content will also be shared with NZME’s pre-existing partners, including Whakaata Māori and Allied Press.

You’ll cover a mix of stories for multiple news cycles – shorter daily stories (including breaking news and coverage of hearings), features and long-term investigations.

To become a successful applicant you’ll need a track record in identifying stories of significant public interest and telling them in an engaging and innovative way.

You’ll have a good working knowledge of ever-evolving legal issues and the ability to converse with experts in a complex field. Training will also be provided in this area.

You’ll also be able to develop contacts, navigate the complexities of gathering information from the judicial system and be confident arguing for reporting rights in a courtroom environment.

While basic knowledge of audio and video editing techniques would be an advantage, training is available.

Training And Support

NZME is committed to the ongoing development of journalists working in this specialised area. We’re particularly passionate about devolving knowledge and skills to regional hubs.

Open Justice – Te Pātiti staff will join our ongoing legal training sessions led by external and in-house counsel and newsroom leaders. Further sessions on more specialist matters will be arranged as required.

NZME provides a safe, inclusive and diverse working environment. We are committed to developing our understanding of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitingi and embedding them in all aspects of our work.

A copy of our Diversity Policy is here: https://www.nzme.co.nz/img/misc/NZME_Diversity%20Policy.pdf

Please apply by sending your CV, covering letter and links to relevant work.

Note: This is a fixed term contract finishing January 10th 2024

Applicants must have eligibility to work in New Zealand.