CAMA newsletter: July 2022

28 July 2022

Loss of a great friend 

It was with great sadness that Friend of Marilyn host Cat Pausé passed away in late March. Cat was a shining light at MPR, both as a content creator and a trustee on the Manawatū Access Radio Charitable Trust. She exuded love, energy and a passion for human beings.

To commemorate Cat’s incredible life and the joy that she brought to so many people, MPR put together a final farewell and tribute episode of Friend of Marilyn. You can access it, along with a number of Cat’s incredible podcasts, here.

Website soft SOFT launch 

It’s been a long time coming but CAMA is excited to introduce its new website. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s fantastic to have a resources section that offers guidance, templates, and information to listeners, content-makers, and the access media workforce. It couldn’t have been made possible without the help and support of NZ On Air and Meta Digital.

Access media station breaks two world records

Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty and Greytown resident Sam Rossiter-Stead have broken two world records via Wairarapa’s Arrow FM.

Rossiter-Stead interviewed McAnulty for 26 hours and 30 minutes last month, smashing the Guinness World Records for both the longest radio interview and the longest television interview in a question time.

The interview was broadcast live on Arrow FM and Wairarapa TV.

#PassTheMic

Belong Aotearoa’s Pass The Mic is a series of fifteen conversations with people from migrant and former refugee backgrounds in Aotearoa. The interviews are wide-ranging in content, but centre around the idea of belonging, and were made “for people that will relate to the experiences discussed and/or may learn from hearing about diverse experiences”.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the podcasts and of course the video we’ve just launched. We look forward to even more opportunities in the future to #PassTheMic.

Comings and goings at Wellington Access Radio

It is with great sadness that we will soon be saying goodbye to Wellington Radio Access station manager Kristen Paterson. It’s a huge loss to the access media sector, and she’s leaving big shoes to fill. We wish her all the best as she moves to Australia next month.

This year WAR welcomed two new members to the access media whānau. We spoke to Brigid O’Flaherty and Jonny Marks:

Jonny Marks (he/him), technician and studio operator

  1. Tell us about yourself – I was born in Wellington to English parents. I have been involved in music since my teens, and am currently a part of the team at Pyramid Club, a venue on Taranaki St.
  2. Where did you work previously? Wellington Hospital as a Health Care Assistant
  3. What brings you to the access media sector? I believe in using my time for advocacy and to use my skills to help amplify voices that benefit our communities. I relish being immersed in the stories of the rich lives that surround me.
  4. What’s something different or unusual about yourself that people might not know? I am a musician who has specialised in Mongolian throat singing.
  5. What are you hoping to achieve at WAR? To learn more about all those that utilise our sector, and to reflect on those voices I am yet to hear.

Brigid O’Flaherty (she/her), community liaison and programme coordinator

  1. Tell me a bit about yourself – I was born in Lower Hutt and aside from a few years living in Ireland and Germany I have lived in Wellington my whole life. I love music, film, cooking, and the odd mid-winter ocean swim.
  2. Where did you work previously? I owned a small café and am a pastry chef by trade.
  3. What brings you to the access media sector? I have a passion for others’ lives and stories and I am hoping to use my skills and role here to help communities build a strong platform and network for their voice.
  4. What’s something different or unusual about yourself that people might not know? I’m just finishing up a recipe book of many of my baked goods I have developed over the years.
  5. What are you hoping to achieve at WAR? To learn as much as possible about all of the communities in our city and the great things they are achieving. Hopefully I will be able to work with these communities to get more exposure for them so that our city can learn about them too.

Vacancies

  • Wellington Access Radio: As mentioned above, the WAR station manager job is now up for grabs. You can apply via Seek or the Big Idea.
  • The team at Free FM are looking for a new team member to fill a newly created part time role of Youth Media Coordinator. To see more about the role and how to apply, click here.

BSA announces new CE, releases survey

The Broadcasting Standards authority welcomed Stacey Wood as its new chief executive this month. She will start with the BSA on 5 September.

The BSA has also released multilingual resources, including: the new broadcasting standards Codebook, a guide to the complaints process, and a guide to complaints unlikely to succeed.

If you would like to know more about the BSA, see here. If you would like to know more navigating complaints in an access media context see here.

Community Networks Aotearoa (CNA)

The CNA Tick for Governance course was developed with community organisations and their needs in mind. This module looks at how organisations can build and sustain relationships with mana whenua and honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Have your say on the Election Access fund 

The Electoral Commission is inviting people to share their views on how the Election Access Fund should be set up and run.

Disabled people seeking selection or standing as a candidate in a parliamentary general election or by-election will be able to apply for a grant from the $1m Fund to help cover disability related costs that other candidates do not face.

These costs could include things like paying for sign language interpreters or accessible transport to campaign events or meetings.

The survey can be found here. Consultation closes Sunday 14 August.

Arrow FM’s Lucy Cooper has developed a new podcast series called Burst Mode – a limited series podcast featuring bite-sized interviews with photographers from Aotearoa New Zealand. You can access the website here.

Fresh FM is the home to a new podcast, People, Places & The Climate Crisis – A Climate Matters Podcast. In this exciting and informative series, experts present critical climate information for communities and local government. See here for more.