Investigative journalists gather at AUT

More than 120 people - mostly journalists - gathered at Auckland University of Technology at the weekend for the fourth annual conference of the New Zealand Centre for Investigative Journalism.

Among key speakers were three-time reporter of the year Tony Wall, investigative journalist Nicky Hager, journalist and author Anke Richter, journalist and raconteur Steve Braunias, and former Metro magazine editor Simon Wilson.

The conference included the launch of A Moral Truth, a book detailing 150 years of investigative journalism in New Zealand, edited by Massey University’s Dr James Hollings.

The NZCIJ was established in 2014 by Hager, data journalist Keith Ng and Dr Hollings.

The centre’s first three conferences were held in Wellington but after a successful half-day seminar at AUT last year, the conference was moved to Auckland for 2017.

“It was a fascinating two days of talk about investigative journalism,” said AUT journalism lecturer Greg Treadwell.

“It was a great chance for journalists, who are usually competing against each other, to come together as a body of practitioners. There were some wonderfully honest stories and discussions."