Herald nails big international, national wins
The 90% Project was one of the most important editorial initiatives . . . supporting the country to save lives.
David Rowe, NZME
The NZ Herald’s 90% Project has won first prize at the International News Media Association’s global media awards, hosted virtually.
The 90% Project — the editorial campaign to encourage at least 90 per cent of New Zealanders to receive their second vaccination before Christmas 2021 — was judged Best Public Relations and Community Campaign.
“We knew we had a vital role to play following the Government’s initial reluctance to set any targets,” said NZME head of journalism planning David Rowe.
The campaign, backed up by indepth reporting and real-time data analysis, was a major success, with the country hitting its targets early.
Rowe said the INMA award was testament to the NZME newsroom’s focus on delivering trusted, quality journalism in an era of social media misinformation.
“Part of our mission is to ensure we are advocates for our communities and readers. The 90% Project was one of the most important editorial initiatives we’ve ever undertaken, supporting the country to save lives.”
From a total of 252 media companies that entered the INMA awards, NZME was one of just eight to win multiple top prizes, including for advertising campaigns.
The company’s agency sales team also this week won Best Sales Person or Team of the Year prize at the Beacon Awards in Auckland, and the NZ Herald Karma article recommendation engine was awarded Media Owner Innovation of the Year.
NZME chief executive Michael Boggs said he was incredibly proud.
“Being recognised not only on a national scale at the Beacon Awards but also on a global scale at the INMAs is hugely exciting.
“Our teams work incredibly hard every day to provide trusted, quality, engaging news and content for our loyal audiences across the country, as well as doing a fantastic job serving our valued advertising customers.
“These awards showcase the depth of talent we have across NZME, including our newsrooms, commercial sales, digital and marketing teams, and I couldn’t be prouder of these big wins for our teams.”