Mail and staff are finalists for top awards

The Nelson Mail and three of its staff have been named as finalists in the prestigious Voyager Media Awards.

The newspaper is a finalist for regional newspaper of the year, with a portfolio including a campaign to support local businesses after the Delta lockdown, and widespread flooding across the top of the south last July.

Communities subeditor Stu Hunt is a finalist in two categories: best first person essay, for his feature When push comes to love: parenting your parents, and best headline or hook.

Mail visual journalists Braden Fastier and Martin de Ruyter are finalists in the best photography category – Fastier for features, and de Ruyter for news. Both have won several awards previously, including Photographer of the Year.

Fastier also picked up the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year award in December.

The Voyager Media Awards are New Zealand’s premium journalism awards, encompassing print, online and broadcast journalism, and attracting 1380 entries this year.

Stuff’s Nelson regional editor Victoria Guild said the newsroom was thrilled to be a finalist for regional newspaper of the year.

‘‘This category is highly contested and notoriously difficult to crack, so we are really pleased that the quality of our work has been recognised.

‘‘We have a very experienced team of journalists, and to make the finals is a huge pat on the back for all of them. We know that we are doing work that matters to our readers, and we will continue to be that credible, trustworthy voice for our region.’’

The awards will be held in Auckland in August.