Making readers smile or cry is part of magic
Age: 32
Job: Journalist — Pasifika affairs, people and general news. Location: Auckland.
Number of years as a journalist: 10.
A story that impacted you
All sorts of stories remain with me even years later. One that got to me very early on was the story of Jayden Andrews-Howland, who died in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, a day before his 15th birthday.
Jayden was an only child, like I am, and his grandfather said something about him that I’ll never forget: “He never bought himself McDonald’s without buying something for his mother.”
The one that got away
Not a very serious one, but a few years ago I went out to an interview near the Sky Tower. As I was walking past, there was a bit of a commotion around the Sky Jump. I walked over just as one of the Backstreet Boys, Kevin Richardson, was walking down the stairs. Awestruck, I managed to get a selfie before he left, which was when I thought: ‘Oh, crap. I should’ve asked him a question’. A photographer happened to capture the moment and the boss never knew about it — until now. Awkward.
Career highlight
killed. Even today, I can still remember the scenes so vividly, the smell of death in the air and the sound of people crying. Indescribably sad and terrifying, but I was honoured to share the stories of my people.
I love journalism because
It gives an insight into someone else’s life, journey, circumstance or tragedy. You could be sitting on the train to work, reading the paper, and suddenly break a smile, shed a tear or be impacted by someone else’s story.
If I couldn’t be a journalist, I’d . . .
Probably be a lawyer. The day I was going to accept a spot at Auckland University’s law programme, an acceptance letter from AUT’s communications school arrived. Other than that, when I was a child I used to dream about being a professional sprinter, astronaut, artist, someone who worked at a museum, librarian and even a Hogwarts professor.
Pasifika reporter Vaimoana Tapa¯ leao