It’s been almost 2 months of intense work. But now that things have calmed down a bit I thought I’d write about one of the most exciting things that happened this year. It’s the highest recognition for a cameraman in New Zealand. And that is nothing else than being awarded with the Gold and Bronze awards in the News & Current affairs category of the annual NZCS Awards for the following stories:

Tagata Pasifika – Tongan chef Touvai Poloniati (Gold)
Tagata Pasifika – Samoan boxer Baby Nansen (Bronze)

Thank you

I can’t really express my gratitude enough to all the people that made this recognition possible. From my parents who gave me the grounding as a cameraman in photography when I first started, to my wife and children who very often have to go through long times of me absent on shoots. To all the people in TVNZ and especially John Robertson, who have given me the foundations in broadcast TV when I first arrived in NZ and who put me on the first shoot for a program called Tagata Pasifika back in 2011, which 8 years later I would be collecting an award for!

A big thank you also to the NZCS committee who recognized the work and who made possible the screening of 2 Pacific stories in front of the best of the Cinematography industry in NZ. And last but not least, a big thank you to my Pacific family. The people that for the past 8 years I have been telling some amazing (and to be honest… a couple of boring ones too!) pacific stories with. My Sunpix producers, Ngaire Fuata, John Utanga and Stephen Stehlin. And of course, their great team of reporters/directors that I have the pleasure to hang out with so often, because it never feels like work!

On a personal reflection, these awards are very welcome and a much welcomed boost in confidence in my work, it would not be honest to claim otherwise. However, I do think that there is very much beautiful camera work out there that goes unrecognized. Recognition just sets the bar and it’s always good to constantly try and set it higher, driving the quality of our work up. That’s what I will be trying to do in the next year for sure and in the process try to bring as many of my peers with me as possible.

Until the next one, stay safe and have a great and relaxing summer break!