AUCKLAND (Pacific Media Centre/Pacific Media Watch): Postgraduate student journalist Alistar Kata, who has been appointed the Pacific Media Watch contributing editor this year, is the latest addition to the Pacific Media Centre team.
Having covered issues and events in the Pacific region before, Kata says the appointment of her role was a “natural progression”.
“I’ve worked closely with the PMC when covering the elections in Fiji, and I feel like this is where I belong," she says.
The Cook Islands Māori student journalist wants to engage New Zealand audiences more with Pacific news and current affairs.
“I don’t see the Pacific region covered enough in our mainstream media and there’s a huge gap and a need for people to know what’s going on with their neighbours,” she said.
“This is an area where I know PMC really flourishes”.
Kata intends to use her experience with multimedia journalism to give people “all forms of content”.
Creating packages
“News media is heading towards creating multimedia packages and as a journalist this is exciting for me," she says.
“I know this type of reporting is something I can bring to the team and I know it will make people notice what is going on in the Pacific”.
Kata’s job as PMW's contributing editor in AUT University's School of Communication Studies starts this week and she is looking forward to the multi-dimensional aspect of the role.
“Not only do I get the opportunity to produce and publish content, but I get to research media freedom, censorship in the Pacific and that is something I see as extremely important for a journalist to be informed about," she says.
Kata. who reported in Fiji on the general election for Pacific Scoop last September, is currently finishing her Bachelor of Communication Studies (Honours) degree and wants to give “a voice to Pacific communities”.
“It’s such a privilege to be part of an organisation that puts the Pacific region in the spotlight."
Alistar Kata reports on climate change
AUT News page on climate change
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Alistar Kata
