Myjanne Jensen, her husband Jade Leatherby-Tipene and their children returned to New Zealand from Brisbane in March and have settled in Hihi. Photo / supplied
Myjanne Jensen, her husband Jade Leatherby-Tipene and their children returned to New Zealand from Brisbane in March and have settled in Hihi. Photo / supplied
She's got some big shoes to fill, but Myjanne Jensen is looking forward to taking the helm as the new editor of the Northland Age.
Jensen, 37, takes over from long-serving editor Peter Jackson on Monday.
The Australian-born mum of four, who is of Ngāpuhi descent, said she was looking forward to the challenge.
She is married to New Zealand-born musician Jade Leatherby-Tipene, originally from Pahiatua. They and their four daughters, aged 8, 5, and three-year-old twins, moved to New Zealand from Brisbane in March and settled in Hihi.
Moving to the Far North was "like a homecoming" for Jensen.
"My nan is from Otangaroa and all my whānau are from up this way; we've still got lots of whānau up here," she said.
"I'm really excited about getting to know the readership and the community and unearth some awesome stories from the community.
"In a way, it's understanding where I'm from too. I've never lived here before, so it's pretty special to be able to tell stories where my tupuna are from. For me, its reconnecting with my roots and helping people be proud of where they live."
Myjanne Jensen, her husband Jade Leatherby-Tipene and their children returned to New Zealand from Brisbane in March and have settled in Hihi. Photo / supplied
Myjanne (pronounced My-Anna) graduated from Griffith University, in South East Queensland, in 2010 as a Bachelor of Asian and International studies and a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in journalism and Japanese.
She has worked as a freelance journalist in Australia, producing documentaries for ABC radio national, including one about the struggle New Zealanders have living in across the ditch.
She also worked as a digital journalist for the Queensland Times newspaper for two years, covering the greater Springfield area, and has written articles for Mamamia, Australia's largest independent women's media group. She has also worked in public relations as a communications and marketing officer.
She said Jackson, who retires on July 30 after 38 years in the editor's chair, had done "such an amazing job" serving the community.
"It's a privilege and honour to step into his place," she said.
"I've always loved community reporting. What I really loved about working at the Queensland Times and reporting on greater Springfield is you get to do a range of different stories, and that's really interesting and exciting."
