REINZ Property Journalism Award Winners

2002 REINZ Property Journalism Award Winners Announced

The best of the best in property journalism were recognised in Wellington last night at the 2002 Real Estate Institute of New Zealand Property Journalism Awards.

For the second consecutive year, the award for Best Property Portfolio went to New Zealand Herald’s Anne Gibson, who received $2,000 plus the President’s Trophy.

Journalism Awards Judge, Mr Terry Hall said, “Anne, who won the top prize this year, really had the bit in her teeth this time, and must have spent many hours on the leaky building syndrome, a difficult story that developed until it needed a team effort by newspapers and television throughout the country.”

The other finalist in this category was Helen Mays, of The Manawatu Standard.

The Best Lifestyle Property Portfolio has revealed a dynamic duo at NZ House & Garden, the award going to Claire McCall, with her colleague Penny Lewis as named runner up. The pair took away exactly the same titles in 2001.

The Best Lifestyle Property Portfolio was created to recognise the growing field of property journalism focused on delivering articles describing New Zealand homes and how we live in them.

Mary Ann Gill from the Waikato Times was the winner of the Best Provincial Property Portfolio, succeeding against what Terry Hall referred to as “very strong competition…with competition running from Hamilton to Southland”.

In her second award of the evening, not content with the Presidents Trophy, Anne Gibson of the NZ Herald won Best Single Item – Commercial for her extensive investigative work on the rise and fall of Jihong Lu. Lu rose to public prominence through his hopes to develop the Britomart project, but has now largely disappeared from view.

Rhonda Markby of the Timaru Herald was awarded The Single Best Item – Residential, for her piece titled, “The house that Brian built”, while a story investigating the state of vineyard real estate earned journalist Lyn McKinnon of NZ Grape Grower Magazine the Best Single Item – Rural Award.

The judge for this year’s Awards is one of New Zealand’s leading business journalists, Terry Hall. Mr Hall is the New Zealand correspondent for The Financial Times in London and is a former business editor of The Dominion and former managing editor of Reuters Economic Services.

REINZ Property Journalism Award Finalists and Winners

Best Property Portfolio Winner: Anne Gibson New Zealand Herald Runner Up: Helen Mays Manawatu Evening Standard

Best Provincial Portfolio Winner: Mary Ann Gill The Waikato Times Runner/s Up: Rhonda Joy Markby Timaru Herald Helen Mays Manawatu Evening Standard

Best Lifestyle Portfolio Winner: Claire McCall NZ Home & Entertaining Runner Up: Penny Lewis NZ Home & Entertaining

Best Single Commercial Item Winner: Anne Gibson New Zealand Herald

Best Single Residential Item Winner: Rhonda Joy Markby Timaru Herald

Best Single Rural Item Winner: Lyn McKinnon NZ Grape Grower Magazine

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