Wellington, New Zealand

Exposing Pacific Journalists to how New Zealand is involved in the Pacific and its relationship with the islands is one of the aims of a five-day Pacific Media Exchange Program being held in Wellington and Auckland for three journalists from Samoa, Cook Islands and Tonga.

The pilot program started on June 21-23 in Wellington with visiting Pacific Island journalists, Keni Lesa the Editor of the Samoan Observer, Nerys Case, political journalist for Cook Islands News, and Linny Folau, photojournalist for Matangi Tonga Online.

The program in Wellington provided the Pacific journalists opportunity to observe first hand how the New Zealand media work in their Press Gallery housed in the New Zealand Parliament building. Journalists were to meet the Speaker of the House Hon Dr Lockwood, the Minister of Immigration Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman, Members of Parliament and Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem.

Another topic was the 2011 Rugby World Cup and journalists met with Rugby NZ 2011 CEO Martin Snedden at his office in Wellington.

The one week program moves to Auckland on June 24-25 where journalists will visit AUT Journalism School and the Pacific Media Centre, the New Zealand Herald, TV One News and Auckland University for Pacific Studies at the Fale Pasifika.

Dave Courtney, the Communications Advisor for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this program is important in that it brings Pacific journalists to meet and network with New Zealand journalists because New Zealand is quite often featured in the Pacific media and the Pacific islands are often featured in the New Zealand media.

He said this program also provided Pacific journalists with an opportunity to talk to key people in the New Zealand Government and learn how New Zealand is involved in the Pacific and its relationship with the islands.

The media program would be later assessed to see how it could be future implemented perhaps for journalists from Melanesian islands.