2023 kicked off with Jacinda Ardern announcing her resignation as PM, followed closely by catastrophic flooding in Auckland and, the following month, Cyclone Gabrielle, which badly affected much of the North Island and resulted in a State of Emergency being declared. 2023 also saw the government lifting all remaining COVID-19 requirements in mid-August – more than three years after they were first put in place. Elections were held in October and, after weeks of negotiations, a National-Act-NZ First coalition agreement was finalised, confirming the change of government.

Last year was a particularly demanding one for Aotearoa’s journalists. The extreme weather that wreaked havoc in and around Gisborne, Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay in February and into the following months led to extremely difficult conditions, making reporting from those areas logistically challenging.

One of our judges commented: “A large field of entries demonstrated the breadth, depth, and strength of truly local reporting, in challenging times for the wider news media sector. The personal, on-the ground, efforts of all local journalists who worked for their communities, in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, should be acknowledged.”

62 judges based across four countries – New Zealand, Australia, Rarotonga and the United States – co-judged in groups of two and three to select winners from around 1,000 entries.

The 2024 Voyager Media Awards will bring the news media industry together to celebrate excellence in New Zealand journalism and the pivotal role that our journalists play in keeping New Zealanders informed. These awards – the 51^st annual Media Awards celebration in Aotearoa – aim to recognise and reward the best in the craft each year.

There are plenty of tickets available to the 2024 Voyager Media Awards celebration on Friday 24 May 2024. Publishers can book their tickets directly with the NPA. Freelancers and other people wanting to attend can purchase their tickets online – please email ticketing@mediaawards.co.nz to receive the link.

2024 Voyager Media Awards Celebration – Celebrating excellence in journalism
Date: Friday 24 May 2024
Start time: Doors open at 6pm, Award Ceremony commences 7pm sharp
Finish time: 11:30pm (approximately)
Venue: Level 1 (upstairs) at Shed 10, Auckland
Dress code: Black tie
Tickets: $275 (incl. gst) – includes a 3-course meal, drinks, music and entertainment

Premier sponsor: Voyager Internet
Gold sponsors: Air New Zealand, NZ On Air
Silver sponsors: Spark NZ, Sport NZ, TVNZ and Whakaata Māori
Bronze sponsors: Media Copyright Agency (MCA), Telum Media and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Without their generous support these awards would not be possible.

The 2024 Voyager Media Awards celebrate the work of journalists across print, broadcast and digital including reporters, feature writers, columnists, cartoonists, reviewers, photographers and video journalists, culminating in a celebration of the winners in Auckland on Friday 24 May 2024.

Aotearoa’s National Media Awards have celebrated excellence in New Zealand journalism for 51 years. Originally known as the Qantas Press Awards, then the Canon Media Awards, Voyager Internet has been the premier sponsor since 2018. The awards are managed and promoted by the News Publishers’ Association which champions the news media industry of New Zealand.

Please direct any queries about the 2024 Voyager Media Awards to voyagermediaawards@npa.co.nz