New Zealand Media and Entertainment has been recognised at the International News Media Association Global Media Awards.
The annual INMA Awards celebrate outstanding examples of innovation, strategy and transformation across media organisations worldwide.
The NZ Herald received the award for Best Innovation in Newsroom Transformation for the comprehensive reinvention of its newsroom last year.
NZME also secured second place in three additional categories: Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand for BusinessDesk’s CEO Index, Best Use of Video for Herald Now and Best Revenue Diversification Strategy.
Deeper engagement
The award-winning NZ Herald project, initially announced in January 2025, saw its newsroom structure redesigned around specific functions.
The newsroom now has a live desk focused on breaking news and driving free content reach, and nine specialist desks dedicated to investigative and enterprise journalism to deepen subscriber engagement.
Alongside this, NZME launched Herald Now, a weekday live streaming video news channel.
Automation tools were embedded across newsroom production, while the reorganisation brought editorial, marketing, subscriptions and digital advertising into a single publishing division.
Embracing innovation
NZME editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness credits the award to the ability of people across the company to embrace innovation and genuine change while continuing to consistently deliver quality journalism.
“Winning this award on a global stage is a tribute to our teams across the country. We now have a completely different structure, with new roles, new ways of working, new tools and platforms, all focused on serving New Zealanders wherever they get their news.
“Most importantly, we have done all of this while maintaining our commitment to the most important part of our roles – delivering trusted, quality, in-depth and timely journalism every day.”
A proud moment
NZME chief executive officer Michael Boggs says the result is a proud moment for everyone across the company.
“At NZME we set out to lead the industry in how we evolve and innovate, and to have that recognised on a global stage is something we are really proud of. We are a business that is accelerating digital innovation, and the strength of our traditional platforms like print and terrestrial radio alongside that is what makes our offering so powerful for audiences.”
NZME was also named a finalist for Best Client Advertising Campaign for the NZ Herald and The Alternative Commentary Collective’s innovative Live Odds campaign with TAB NZ. This campaign earned an honourable mention from the judges.
