Raphael Franks is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on breaking news, crime, transport and human interest stories.
Raphael hails from Christchurch but made Auckland his home in 2022. While attending Christchurch Boys’ High School from 2014 to 2018, he worked in Coca-Cola Amatil’s bottling plant; and while studying geography at the University of Canterbury, he worked in retail. Marking a total reversal in career ambitions, Raphael was offered the opportunity to join the Te Rito Journalism Cadetship programme in 2022, funded through the Public Interest Journalism Fund. Through this, he got experience working in some of the country’s largest newsrooms and some of the country’s smallest. He began working for the Herald in the same year. During this time, Raphael has covered the Auckland Anniversary Floods, Cyclone Gabrielle, two different shootings on Queen St and another on Ponsonby Rd, the closure of Newshub, the slimming down of TVNZ, and other major news events of the day. You can contact Mr Franks on 027 436 5668 or at raphael.franks@nzme.co.nz.
Thousands join protest at Parliament as Govt unveils Budget
The nationwide protests come ahead of the coalition Government's first Budget at 2pm.
Victims of South Auckland house fire identified, grieving family pay tribute to kapa haka star
A third man remains in hospital.
Two arrests on Auckland motorways as Te Pāti Māori protests disperse
Te Pāti Māori says protests planned today are 'just the start' - taking aim at new Govt.
Court brawl: Chaotic footage as Corrections officer put in hospital, pair charged
Police swarmed the High Court at Napier minutes after the fracas broke out.
New payment for people displaced by floods, Cyclone Gabrielle
The interim, weekly payment will be available from September 4 through MSD.