nzherald.co.nz scoops top prize at Qantas Media Awards

nzherald.co.nz has been named 'Best News Website' at the Qantas Media Awards for the third consecutive year – every year since the category was first introduced in 2007.

Jeremy Rees, publisher of nzherald.co.nz, says it's a massive achievement for New Zealand's favourite news site.

"We're absolutely thrilled to win the award again this year and it's a true testament of our commitment to delivering a high quality and consistent news experience to our readers," Mr Rees said

"Over the last 12 months we've also spent a lot of time looking at extending the reach of the site to meet the growing needs of our audience - we were the first major news site to launch a mobile offering, so that wherever readers are they can get the very latest news straight to their phone."

Qantas Media Award judges, who consist of some of New Zealand's leading media experts, described nzherald as an "excellent site with extensive coverage of the latest national news, well designed and lots of interactivity".

The judges also noted the site's sports coverage and live scoring, as well as the entertainment section of the site.

This is the most successful year for nzherald.co.nz at the Qantas Media Awards, with the site also winning the award for 'Best Website Story/Project with Community Involvement'.

The judges declared that nzherald had chosen an innovative way to mark the anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's death by launching an online search for his replacement as the acknowledged 'Greatest Living New Zealander'.

In two weeks, the promotion attracted more than 12,000 entries from readers, and the judges concluded "that they really wanted to have a conversation with their readers and they certainly got it".

nzherald was also a finalist in the hotly contested business and sport website categories.

Mr Rees concludes: "Over the past 12 months our traffic has grown by 42 per cent, which is a clear indication that we're doing something right and that our readers think the same. We have a loyal audience who always let us know how we're doing, so I must say a big thank you to them. They certainly keep us on our toes."

The Weekend Herald was also named the Newspaper of the Year.

- NZ HERALD STAFF