Tenancy law investigation wins Jesson Journalism Award

They have won this year’s Bruce Jesson Emerging Journalism Award for their Data-Investigative Journalism project as part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism.

The students found many Wellington tenants living in mouldy and sub-standard housing were unable to win cases against their landlords in the Tenancy Tribunal.

Although the law has required all private landlords to comply with healthy home standards for tenancies started or renewed from 1 July 2021, the investigation found that the tribunal and other government agencies have failed to enforce the standards.

The three students’ findings were published by Newsroom and Stuff on 9 May 2022 in a detailed and powerful article titled The mouldy misery of Wellington’s rental market.

The story has won this year’s $1500 Emerging Journalism Award from the Bruce Jesson Foundation, a charitable trust incorporated in 2001 in memory of Auckland journalist Bruce Jesson, who died in 1999.

Lucy Revill, who has since begun a role as content producer for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment in London, said it was an honour to be awarded the prize. “The issue of renting in Wellington is something I know well. Uncovering the poor housing conditions and the shoddy laws was eye-opening, especially compared to other countries. Working in this team was a fantastic experience.”

James Pocock graduated with a Bachelor of Communication, before completing the Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism. He now works as a reporter for the Hawke's Bay Today.

"When we began, I don't think we could have imagined where this investigation could have taken us, or how difficult it could be to bring it all together, but this team managed to gel together in an amazing way. Although some of what we found was disturbing, it felt great to be able to shine a greater light on it, and I couldn't have done it with a better team," James says.

On graduation, Mary Argue took on a reporter role at the Wairarapa Times Age, and has since been promoted to Chief Reporter. The publication is the current Voyager Regional Newspaper of the Year.

The students were guided by Associate Head of School for Communication, Journalism and Marketing Associate Professor James Hollings, and by Journalism Discipline Co-ordinator Dr Bernard Whelan.

Bruce Jesson Foundation co-chairs Dr Maria Armoudian and Simon Collins said all trustees were “immensely impressed” by the students’ work.

“You combined personal stories with comprehensive research to produce a disturbing piece that cannot be ignored,” they told the students.

“This is exactly the kind of analytical and investigative journalism that we want to encourage because it has impact, and helps to build public pressure for action in an area where our society is failing badly.”

The award is open to all journalism students, who must be nominated by journalism programme leaders, for published work of “critical, informed, analytical and creative journalism or writing which will contribute to public debate in New Zealand on an important issue or issues."

Massey journalism graduates have dominated the award over the past decade, having won for six successive years.

More information about the award can be found here.