Award Winning Team

Editor of 20 years Rob Drent with business partner Peter Wilson at the Voyager Media Awards celebrating Rob’s award: Community Journalist of the Year 2018.

The Rangitoto Observer and The Devonport Flagstaff are members of the New Zealand Community Newspaper Association (CNA). Our sister paper, the Flagstaff, has been recognised many times in the annual Independent Better Newspapers and Independent Community Newspapers Better Journalist and Photographers competitions. Our team has also been highly commended in the NZ Canon Media Awards which judges all NZ media including mainstream outlets: Among the awards won by our team are:

Community Newspaper Journalist of the Year – Voyager Media Awards — Winner 2018

Best Community Involvement — Winner in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016

Best Headline — Winner 2012, 2013, 2014

Most Improved Newspaper — Winner 2010, 2011, 2012

Best Senior Reporter, Best Sports — Winner 2009, 2010, 2013

Best Overall Newspaper — Finalist 2002, 2003, 2007

Best Junior Reporter — Winner 2001, 2002, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015

Best Junior Photographer — Winner 2001

Best Senior and Junior Feature writer — Winner 2015

Metro Magazine, Best of Auckland Best Community Newspaper — Winner in 2006; runner up in 2005.

Special project (Destination Devonport) — 2016

CANON Community Reporter of the Year — Finalist in 2015 and 2016

CANON Community Newspaper of the Year — Finalist in 2017

Of all the awards we have won, the ones we are most proud of are the commendations we have received for community involvement.

One of the national awards received by our sister paper for community involvement was in recognition of the Flagstaff’s campaign in 2011 to eradicate the synthetic cannabis drug Kronic from Devonport dairies. The campaign was covered by national TV and radio, and many other communities across Auckland and the rest of the country began asking their local dairies to stop selling it. Our team received numerous emails and calls from parents congratulating the paper on its stance.

Other key campaigns run by our team have also been recognised by awards. These include the successful backing of Victoria Theatre supporters to reopen the performance facility; and the editorial stand we took against the government which helped save coastal land at Fort Takapuna from residential development.

Our paper donates several advertising pages per year to causes and arts groups that we support. Community groups, sports clubs, schools and churches are also given discounted advertising.