Graduate Profiles

Natalie Mankelow

Communication Pathway

I graduated with a Bachelor of Media Arts (Journalism).
I am currently the Māori Issues Reporter for Radio New Zealand National which is a network of the public broadcaster, Radio New Zealand. I started at RNZ as a trainee journalist immediately after finishing my degree, and after a year I was promoted to the Māori issues role.

Earlier this year I was selected as a finalist in the Best New Broadcaster category of the New Zealand Radio Awards. I was also involved in two other awards Best Team News Coverage - the funeral of the Māori Queen and Best programme under an hour - Morning Report: The funeral of the Māori Queen. The awards were held in Auckland last month.

My three years at Waikato Institute of Technology helped me gain some invaluable work experience. As part of the three year course you take part in a six week internship at an organisation of your choice. But you are also encouraged to get extra work experience in holidays and in your spare time. This extra work can give you the edge over another job applicant especially when you are just setting out in the journalism field.

My job involves on-air presenting in the form of news reports, writing and editing sound for extended news pieces for our news programme Morning Report and Checkpoint. And can occasionally involve live outside broadcasts from special events happening around New Zealand. Live broadcasts are my passion, nothing beats being at the scene of an exciting event and being in charge of telling New Zealand what you can see and hear.

One of the highlights of my career so far was the live outside broadcast from the Māori Queen's tangi. As the Māori issues reporter I was stationed in Ngaruawahia for the whole event and was in charge of providing the news service with hourly news updates and audio as well as live reports. This work is extremely challenging but very rewarding.

I plan to stay at Radio New Zealand and eventually try and get some journalism work in the UK.