Awards are great, but it’s the stories
that make a difference
Across the Board
Governance is a word that not many of us think about on a day-to-day basis, and I certainly had little understanding of it when I began scoping and creating this 7-part documentary podcast series, Across the Board.
The question at the forefront of my mind was: what does governance really mean, and why should we care? My next task was to distill this in a way that everyone can understand, while also helping to raise the profile of governance in Aotearoa New Zealand.
My way into the series was through impactful storytelling that was free of jargon and really got under the skin of what mattered most - people - their stories and experiences of getting a seat at the table, the challenges of what happens when they finally do, and the issues that businesses, not-for-profits, listed companies, sports organisations and schools are facing today.
The series starts with a 101 of governance, moving on to issues like diversity and inclusion, climate change and sustainability, modern slavery, pay inequity, well being and mental health, reputation and social media, the right to speak, and what success and failure means for people responsible for making decisions for their companies - ones that have a wider impact on the community.
Silver - ‘Best Business Podcast’
New York Festivals Radio Awards, 2023
I jumped for joy when I was given the opportunity to produce the 2021 season of RNZ history series, Eyewitness.
This was a series I had dipped in an out of as a producer since its inception. But being given the remit to ‘make it my own’ and take it somewhere different meant I was able to inject it with my own creative spin and energy - which also helped to build the numbers for the podcast that season.
I used narrative storytelling combined with sound rich elements - archival audio, sfx and music to build the arc for each story. And where moments called for humour, I brought in the light and shade.
For me the story comes first. And the story always informs my creative approach to the production.
Check out the full list of winners for the NZ Podcast Awards 2022.
Gold - ‘Best History Podcast’
New Zealand Podcast Awards, 2022
Finalist - ‘Best Factual Series/ Documentary’
New Zealand Radio Awards, 2022
It was a pleasure to be one of three nominees for this category, because while many people think of podcasts today as straight forward radio style interviews with music at the top and tail, making this kind of audio series requires a great deal of craft.
With raw audio supplied by Tiki Lounge Productions who were creating a video series for RNZ, it was my job to create a podcast series for a broad audience. The series covers five Pacific islands including New Zealand (dawn raids), Samoa (Black Saturday Massacres), Niue (the death of a high profile New Zealander), Rarotonga (curse of the Sheraton Hotel), Fiji (coup culture). It was my job to do some further digging. I integrated archival audio through the series with the existing audio, building soundscapes to create a cinematic sensory experience for the ears, using sound and music to build tension and place us in the world of the characters.
Stories around racism and colonisation have scarred many of these communities and although some of the stories are hard to stomach, it’s about giving voice to generations of people who did not have the opportunity to speak out. My dad was also born and brought up in Fiji, and working on the series helped to fill in some of the gaps around his upbringing and concepts around identity in Fiji - a complex and nuanced environment, which has been shaped by the stories of its past.
Gold - ‘Beyond Kate’
New York Radio Festivals Awards, 2019
Beyond Kate is an 8-part podcast I produced for RNZ National. This documentary-style series took approximately 6-months to produce and celebrates 125 years of women’s suffrage in New Zealand, traversing history and contemporary issues for women; exploring work, education, representations of the body and femininity, dress codes, sexuality, diversity and politics.
I wanted to make sure that women of colour were represented across the series, which also includes my experience as a woman of Chinese descent, born in New Zealand. The series is rich, textural, funny, touching and informative. But most importantly, celebrates women sharing their unique stories and points of view in their own voice.
Silver - ‘Glory in their Eyes’
New York Festivals Radio Awards, 2016
Using disparate pieces of archival audio recordings with New Zealand soldiers who fought at Gallipoli during the first world war, I assembled the one-off commemorative story interspersing scripted reenactments, sound fx and music as well as excerpts from diary entries and old news paper clippings to create a linear and human story that became ‘Glory in their Eyes.’
Crime Scene
Photography by Matt Evans
Silver - ‘Crime Scene’
New York Festivals Radio Awards, 2015
As soon as I read about photographer Matt Evans work, I knew I had to do a story about his film noir crime scene photography. I was an arts reporter at the time and before recording with him, I knew exactly where I wanted to take the story…and the audience.
The photograph (above) is me lying in the burnt grass in Lyall Bay, Wellington becoming one of 'Matt’s ‘victims.’
Winner - ‘Best New Broadcaster’
(Journalism)
New Zealand Radio Awards, 2010
The moment I realised that I had chosen the right career path, was when my name was called as the winner for Best New Broadcaster, where I was competing with top emerging news journalists from around the country. As a long-form feature producer and presenter at the time, it proved to me that I should trust my instincts, and validated my creative approach to my work.
Today, that still stands. I have always been story-led and listen closely to what it needs - each with their their own unique feel, rather than being led by what everyone else is doing.