Fairfax agribusiness reporter Gerard Hutching was named supreme winner at the 2017 New Zealand China Council Media Awards in Auckland last night.
Hutching also won the award for best business reporting. His entry included interviews with New Zealand steel workers and dairy farmers about trade with China; food safety standards in China, and the launch of chilled meat exports from New Zealand.
As supreme winner, Hutching will travel to China to research how Chinese consumers and officials view New Zealand exports, and explore how e-commerce is changing the wider retail sector in China.
Other winners were Jared Savage from the New Zealand Herald, Neal Wallace from Farmers Weekly and Sally Chen from skykiwi.co.nz. Findlay Buchanan from Massey University won the award for best student journalism.
New Zealand China Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi says the awards are about encouraging more reporters to take an active interest in the China relationship.
"China is immense in scale, and reporting about it brings significant challenges such as language, travel costs and cultural barriers, as well as understanding of different business and economic system.
"As the relationship grows, getting more New Zealand reporters on the ground in China is critical. It's the best way for us to make sure the public is well informed, and excited about the opportunities China presents," Mr Jacobi says.