Aotearoa Science Journalism Fund - Round 5 winners

Tuesday, 17 December 2019, 10:32 am
Press Release: Science Media Centre

Five new projects will be funded in the latest round of the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund.

Grants ranging from $1650 to $5000 will fund reporting on topics including lessons learnt from the Christchurch earthquake, preparing to be isolated by natural disasters, and the environmental and economic implications of soil carbon sequestering.

Projects have been awarded under the following themes:

Can soil carbon save the world? funded by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
$2000 to Alex Braae for his project “How large scale composting could transform farming and waste management in New Zealand, and sequester far more soil carbon” – for publication in The Spinoff.
$3000 to Eloise Gibson for her project “The Aussies can claim carbon credits for soil. Why can’t we?” ¬– for publication in Newsroom.

Living on the edge? funded by the Earthquake Commission
$1650 to Katie Todd for “It won’t happen here - Is it time our policy makers shifted their thinking on natural hazards?” – a radio package and long-form written piece for Radio New Zealand.
$3350 to Paul Gorman for “Has Dunedin learnt from the Christchurch earthquake?” ¬– a multimedia exploration.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Surviving (and thriving after) the next big quake funded by QuakeCoRE
$5000 to Baz MacDonald for “Isolated”, video episodes for Re: News on New Zealand communities preparing to be cut off by the next big quake.

All of the projects will made available one month following publication under a Creative Commons licence.

The four judges were Dr Tara Ross from the University of Canterbury, Associate Professor Rebecca Priestley, Professor James Renwick from Victoria University of Wellington, and Dacia Herbulock from the Science Media Centre.

This is the fifth completed funding round since the fund’s 2017 launch. Stories funded have ranged from the impacts of sea level rise to data privacy, to citizen science and controversial technologies.

“Supporting journalists to spend time working on innovative projects is what this initiative is all about,” said the fund’s founder, Associate Professor Rebecca Priestley. “We are delighted that several first-time applicants have been funded in this round, highlighting the growth of talent in New Zealand science journalism."

See funded projects here

You can read more about completed projects here. Some funded projects from the previous round are still underway.

Any organisations wanting to support the fund, please contact Rebecca Priestley at sciencejournalismfund@gmail.com. Readers also have the opportunity to support the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund through PressPatron, a new crowdfunding platform allowing readers to make contributions towards the type of content they love consuming.

About the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund

The Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund is the first independent journalism fund dedicated to furthering coverage of the science-related issues that impact New Zealanders. The fund was set up by Rebecca Priestley, winner of the 2016 Prime Minister’s Science Communicator's Prize, in association with the Science Media Centre, to support journalism that highlights the science that underpins, or informs, major issues facing our society.

More information about the fund is available here. Visit Press Patron to make a contribution.

Science Media Centre NZ

Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.

The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.

Contact Science Media Centre NZ

Website - www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz
Email - smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz
Phone - +64 4 499 5476
Mobile - +64 21 859 365
Facebook
Twitter - @smcnz
YouTube
Postal Address - PO Box 598, Wellington 6140

Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Federated Farmers: Government Ends War On Farming

Today’s changes to unworkable and expensive regulations mark the end of the war on farming, says Federated Farmers freshwater spokesperson Colin Hurst. "These impractical rules have been a complete nightmare since the day they were introduced and farmers will be pleased to see the back of them," Hurst says.

University of Auckland: NZ Researchers Drive Work On International AI Framework

Sir Peter Gluckman, director of think tank Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, and Hema Sridhar, Koi Tū strategic adviser for technological futures, are the lead authors of an international report being released by the International Science Council to inform the multiple global and national discussions taking place related to AI.

Woolworths: Rolling Out Team Safety Cameras To All Stores As Critical Tool For De-escalating Conflict

Woolworths New Zealand is introducing team safety cameras to all of its 191 stores this week, following positive feedback from team members who have been involved in a 17 store trial of the safety initiative. The retailer has listened to team members who have said the team safety cameras not only help with de-escalating conflict situations as they arise, but make them feel safer as they work.

Consumer NZ: Environmentally Conscious Shoppers At Risk Of Being Greenwashed

According to Consumer, more than 75% of New Zealanders place some importance on a product’s green claims being verified before it’s sold. Despite this, there is no independent vetting or checking required before products making green claims hit New Zealand’s shelves.

Hugh Grant: Facing The Future - The Use Of Biometric Tech

New Zealand is far from unique in deploying biometric tools to solve major social challenges. As the technology has matured and improved in recent years, facial recognition has been increasingly deployed to take advantage of the increased speed, safety, and security it can provide for users.

John Mazenier: Gaffer Tape And Glue Delivering New Zealand’s Mission Critical Services

Every debt, eventually, has to be repaid. Right now, the day of reckoning is fast approaching for one of the most crippling, but least discussed, debts burdening government across New Zealand – technical debt. Technical debt is the cost of generations of incremental investments in legacy technologies to tease additional functionality or life from them.

Join Scoop Pro

Submit News

Become a Member