2004 Weather Awards Winners

2004 Weather Awards Winners

Winners of the 2004 Weather awards were announced at the 25th Annual general Meeting of the Meteorological Society held in Wellington on Wednesday evening. Outgoing President Richard Turner commented that this year’s judging panel found that weather presentations in New Zealand newspapers have improved over the past four years.

The Meteorological Society of New Zealand conducts these media awards in order to encourage the Press to provide weather information in such a way that, from the perspective of the average reader, it is relevant, clearly and unambiguously presented in a format which is attractive, makes best use of current technology, and is likely to appeal to the interested reader, and encourages the less interested to pause and take a closer look.

This year the Sunday Star-Times was judged as best weekly, Dominion Post as best National Daily, Daily News as best Regional with world-city-data and Rodney Times and best Regional without world-city-data.

Southland Times was highly commended, and Hawke’s Bay Today, Marlborough Express and Wairarapa Times-Age were all commended. Marlborough Express was judged to be ‘best improved’.

“There is room for improvement, and this will be detailed in our full report on metsoc.rsnz.org,” commented the award convener, Bob McDavitt. “Generally we are well served with weather presentations in New Zealand newspapers. It is easier to understand what to expect from the weather from a New Zealand paper than it is from many Australian papers.”

After the Annual meeting, members were presented a symposium on the “Storms of 2004” with talks from Dr. Warren Gray (NIWA), Rod Stainer (Chief Forecaster, MetService), and Erick Brenstrum (MetService).

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