Protect NZ Biosecurity Journalism Award

14 August 2003

Entries called for Protect NZ Biosecurity Journalism Award

Journalists who have written about or reported on any biosecurity issue in the past year are being invited to enter their work for the Protect New Zealand Biosecurity Journalism Award.

“We recognise that biosecurity issues related to exotic pests and diseases have now reached a point where they have a consistently high profile in the media and that there is a lot of commendable coverage. This award goes some way to recognising this,” says MAF Biosecurity Director Barry O'Neil.

The award is being run by the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators with sponsorship from Protect New Zealand.

Entrants to the Protect New Zealand Biosecurity Journalism Award can submit a single, feature-length piece of work, or a series of four shorter items. Entries close on Friday 5 September and the $1000 prize will be presented at a function in Wellington in October.

Launched at the end of September 2001, the Protect New Zealand programme aims to inform people about biosecurity matters and how they can help protect New Zealand from unwanted pests and diseases. The campaign is government-funded and covers a wide range of government as well as non-government agencies and private sector organisations that deal with biosecurity issues.

The primary objectives of the Protect New Zealand programme are to:
- Improve understanding of what biosecurity is and why it is important
- Educate people about biosecurity risks
- Encourage people to become personally involved in protecting New Zealand’s biosecurity
- Inform people of how they can help reduce the risk of pests and diseases arriving and spreading in New Zealand.

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