Saying goodbye to Hawke’s Bay community newspapers

Hastings Leader and Napier Courier Editor, Maddisyn Jeffares

OPINION

The past few weeks have been full of many lasts for me: my last interviews, last follow-ups, last paper layouts, last community columns, the last time I took the “right” photo for a story, and now the last time I put together and sent both the Hastings Leader and Napier Courier community papers to the printers.

For the past almost three years, my life has been all things community papers. The Leader and Courier were never just a 9 to 5 job for me, they were 24/7 and always on my mind. What do we do next, what story needs to be told, and what does the community need to know or want to read? My brain was always turning regarding the news for the communities.

The news of NZME closing their community papers hit me hard. I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs, as well as the community that has lost its form of news.

A lot of people believe our community papers were for following the little stories. I want to tell everyone to remember that the “little” stories can be the ones that hit the hardest or mean the most.

I am hopeful that all those “little” stories, club stories, school stories, and more find their way to come out and be heard. That is the one thing I have always loved about journalism: hearing people’s stories and being able to share them with others.

As an editor and reporter, I have had amazing opportunities where people have invited me in and given me a little glimpse of their lives, and I have cried, laughed, and shared frustration with many members of the community.

Throughout the years, I have gotten to cover stories on so many different topics, from interviews with famous musicians to talented schoolkids, from give-a-little stories to hit-and-run crashes, a catastrophic cyclone and more.

Big or small, every story, column or picture had a place in our paper, and I loved how inclusive the papers were.

In this last week of work, I have gotten to close the circle on more stories than I thought I would. Getting to follow people and their stories is what I am going to miss most of all.

From a fresh-out-of-university intern to the editor of two Hawke’s Bay community papers, I am proud of what we have accomplished for our communities.

There would be no me without the community, and for those who have supported me and our community papers through the ups and downs, I am forever grateful.

Over and out,

Maddisyn Jeffares, editor Hastings Leader and Napier Courier.