Agricultural prize for TV documentary

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32640, 23 June 1971, Page 4

Agricultural prize for TV documentary

The television programme "The European Economic Something” has won for a N.Z.B.C. producer, Mr A. T. Rimmer, the New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Australian travel award for 1971. The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Carter) presented the award to Mr Rimmer at the guild’s annual meeting. The award, which is sponsored by the Bank of New South Wales is made for “an outstanding contribution to the furtherance of agricultural knowledge and understanding in New Zealand.”

Two entries selected for special mention by the judges were an extension training schedule on "Broadcasting for New Zealand Department of Agriculture Advisers” compiled by Mr K. K. Rossiter of the Department of Agriculture, and a review of the Southland farming year by Mr R. B. Wilson, former agricultural editor of the “Southland Times” and now with the “New Zealand Farmer.”

The guild plans another sponsored annual competition, the Ivon Watkins-Dow Rongo award, to encourage young people to consider agricultural journalism as a career. A cash prize of $2OO will go to the winner and the competition will be limited to 'people under the age of 25 - The guild’s president, Mr J. W. Sterling, reported an active year in which membership had increased by 66 per cent from 66 to 118.

He said that New Zealand’s continuing dependence on farming combined with the unpredictable nature of agricultural markets demanded a high degree of training and competence in agricultural communications. This was something the guild was pledged to encourage. With this in mind, the guild was introducing two new award programmes for students of journalism at the Wellington Polytechnic. One of these would be for news and the other for magazine journalism. Each would consist of a $25 first prize, a $lO second prize and a $5 third prize. The awards to be sponsored by various agricultural organisations.