New Zealand has some fine science and environment reporters reporting for print, television and radio. Based all over the country, from Auckland to Wellington to Christchurch, they help to ensure that New Zealanders are kept up to date with science and environment issues both here and abroad.
The Science Media Centre has made a list of some of the journalists regularly reporting on science-related issues in New Zealand, with details on where they are and their main focus areas; science and technology, environment, and health. There is also a list of data journalists and broadcast producers and hosts. Many of the reporters profiled here work across several categories.
Science and technology
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Jamie Morton Science reporter, The New Zealand Herald Location: New Plymouth Jamie has been the Herald’s science reporter since 2012, covering research, medicine, technology, conservation, the environment and climate change. He writes regular stories for the Herald and NZME’s print and online platforms, along with feature articles and a Saturday science column in the Weekend Herald. He is interested to hear about new research from or directly relevant to our people and environment. Contact: jamie.morton@nzherald.co.nz |
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Katie Kenny Digital Explainer Editor, RNZ Location: Dunedin As RNZ’s digital explainer editor, Katie produces content online and on air that helps people make better sense of the information-saturated world we live in. Often this involves providing essential background to complex and significant news stories. Previously, she was a national correspondent at Stuff, where she helped lead award-winning, fact-checking project, The Whole Truth. Contact: katie.kenny@rnz.co.nz |
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Alexa Cook Senior Journalist, RNZ Alexa is an international multi-award winning journalist and started with Newshub in 2020 after moving back to New Zealand from the UK, where she was a broadcast journalist for BBC News. Her news stories and documentary from spending a week mustering cattle after the Kaikoura Earthquake won her an International award in 2018 for the best agricultural multimedia journalist. Alexa also produced exclusive stories on crime in the apiculture industry, drugs in the dairy sector and water quality. Topics of interest include anything from science to environment, from farming to health. Contact: alexa.cook@rnz.co.nz, +64 22 486 8730 |
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Naomi Arnold Freelance journalist Location: Nelson Naomi covers a wide range of stories but particularly enjoys science and environment writing and has won multiple awards for her work. She has freelanced full-time for nearly 10 years and has written for most publications in New Zealand and international outlets such as the Washington Post and The Guardian. She has been a health and environment reporter at the Nelson Mail, a regular feature writer for New Zealand Geographic, a contract science writer for the Cawthron Institute, a senior longform journalist at RNZ, and has also written a critically-acclaimed book on astronomy, Southern Nights (HarperCollins, 2019). She is always keen to have an informal chat about potential stories or discuss what might make a science story attractive to an editor or the general public. She is also happy to provide a listening ear to scientists venting about the media! Contact: naomi.arnold@me.com, www.naomiarnold.net |
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Baz Macdonald Multimedia Journalist, Re: News (TVNZ) Location: Wellington Baz produces articles and documentary and has a keen focus on science related topics – including technology, environment, climate, conservation, and natural sciences. Contact: Baz.macdonald@tvnz.co.nz, +64 27 2699 451 |
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Marc Daalder
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Shanti Mathias |
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Mary Argue Science reporter, Radio New Zealand Location: Wellington Mary is RNZ’s latest science reporter, having previously been a radio programme producer and before that a print reporter at the Wairarapa Times-Age. Her curiosity is piqued by a range of science-related and adjacent topics – she’s interested in the infrastructure supporting science and scientists in Aotearoa, as much as the work itself. Contact: mary.argue@rnz.co.nz; +64 21 351 761 |
Environment
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Eloise Gibson Climate Correspondent, RNZ Location: Auckland Eloise has covered climate change, the environment and science for a number of years at various publications and is now Climate Correspondent for RNZ. She’s interested in climate-related stories from around New Zealand. Contact: eloise.gibson@rnz.co.nz, @eloise_gibson |
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Charlie Mitchell National Correspondent, Stuff Location: Christchurch Charlie reports on environment and climate change as part of Stuff’s national correspondent team. He has an interest in anything related to climate change, water quality and conservation, among other environmental issues, and tends towards longer, interactive features. Contact: charlie.mitchell@stuff.co.nz, +64 3 943 2824, +64 27 886 1309 |
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Kate Evans Freelance journalist Location: Raglan Kate is an award-winning science and environment journalist who writes for a wide range of outlets including New Zealand Geographic, North and South, the Scientific American, and the Guardian. She lives in Raglan and is writing a book about feijoas. Contact: Kategevans@gmail.com |
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David Williams Environment editor, South Island correspondent and investigative writer, Newsroom Location: Christchurch David writes on a variety of topics, including health, but his main beats are conservation, water quality and climate change. He tends towards longer reads, and enjoys burrowing into the detail. Contact: david.williams@newsroom.co.nz, +64 22 051 7923 |
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Demelza Jackson Multimedia Journalist, Newstalk ZB Location: Auckland Demelza covers environment and climate change stories for Newstalk ZB. She primarily writes for ZB’s radio news bulletins and website, and occasionally for The New Zealand Herald. Demelza has a keen interest in conservation, sustainable living and agriculture, climate change mitigation and global warming’s impact on indigenous communities and infrastructure. She would like to hear about any new research or recommendations in these areas. Contact: demelza.jackson@nzme.co.nz |
Health
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Rachel Thomas
Senior health journalist, The Post and Stuff
Location: Wellington
Rachel writes about all things health from the Stuff office in Te Whanganui-a-tara. Since beginning her career in 2012, Rachel has worked in multiple Stuff newsrooms as well as at RNZ and the Science Media Centre. Rachel is especially interested in stories surrounding access to care, mental health, and chronic illness.
Contact: rachel.thomas@stuff.
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Hannah Martin
Senior health reporter, Stuff
Location: Auckland Hannah covers health stories for Stuff and the Sunday Star-Times, and is based in Auckland. She has an interest in anything relating to public health, women’s health (sexual and reproductive health), and health sciences. She loves to hear about cutting-edge medical technologies, quirky research projects and innovation in health in general. Contact: hannah.martin@stuff.co.nz |
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Niki Bezzant
Freelance journalist, editor and author
Niki Bezzant is a frequent contributor to top print, online and broadcast media; currently writing features for The Listener, RNZ, Woman+ and other outlets. Her bestselling book This Changes Everything: the honest guide to menopause and perimenopause, was published in 2022. She’s interested in research around health (especially women’s health); nutrition; wellbeing and mental health.
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Data journalists
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Farah Hancock Data and long form journalist, RNZ Farah covers a wide range of topics including the environment, water quality, conservation and health. She does interactive data projects as well as long-form stories. Location: Auckland Contact: farah.hancock@rnz.co.nz |
Producers and hosts
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Claire Concannon
Producer/presenter, RNZ Our Changing World Location: Dunedin Claire produces and presents RNZ’s weekly science and environment programme Our Changing World. The focus of the show is on research happening in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the range of topics is extremely broad. Claire travels around New Zealand to record sound-rich interactive radio interviews in labs and in the field and produces stories between 10-25 minutes long.
Contact: Claire.concannon@rnz.co.nz; +64 27 395 8914 |
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Emile Donovan Host of Nights, RNZ Location: Auckland Emile covers a wide range of science-related stories and is particularly interested in quirky, off-the-beaten track stories, and stories concerned with environmentalism and conservation. Also anything to do with dogs, sport, gastronomy, the periodic table, and critters. Despite dropping all sciences in fifth form he once got 31/32 in his year 10 biology exam. Contact: nights@rnz.co.nz |
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Ali Ventura Producer, RNZ Location: Auckland We cover the news of the day in exciting and fresh ways – we’re interested in almost all science stories but especially those that affect all New Zealanders, and anything that is oddball or amusing. Contact: ali.ventura@rnz.co.nz; +64 21 205 1501 |