Niva Retimanu (left) and Beatrice Faumuina joined the Front Page podcast to share their experiences of working in the media. Photo / Brett Phibbs
A former Olympian has revealed the disappointment of rejection that came after she retired from professional sport.
Speaking to the Front Page podcast alongside Newstalk ZB newsreader Niva Retimanu, former Olympic discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina says she was eager to segue her athletic prowess into becoming a TV sports reporter role on television.
"I tried to get into the broadcasting space, but I didn't get a callback, so I had to pivot my career again," she says.
"I had feedback saying: "You've got this great charisma with the guests and good questions, but you're just not quite what we are looking for."
Faumuina says that she was never given a clear answer of what exactly it was they were looking for.
"Well, it wasn't me. I can tell you that," she says.
Retimanu and Faumuina host the Straight Up podcast in which they dig into the tough road successful people often face in getting to the top, but they haven't had it easy either.
Looking back on that experience now, Faumuina says it served as an important lesson sportspeople can't just rest on their laurels after their careers have ended.
"Given what I was able to achieve in sport, it opened the door, but it didn't necessarily mean you were going to be the last person standing and chosen for a role - whatever it may have been.
"The minute you transition into media or another career, the pressure is double because you are watched and listened to. And not a lot of us end up being successful."
Faumuina would eventually get her break, but it wasn't on the mainstream show she was hoping to join.
"Thankfully people were producing shows like Tangata Pasifika with Stephen Stehlin and then on Māori TV... [Through that,] I had my chance to actually talk about sport and other current stories, which was really what I wanted to do.
"When that chance came, I took advantage of every opportunity I could and then pivoted my career."
The experiences of Faumuina and Retimanu offer a glimpse at how difficult it has historically been for Pasifika and Māori people to be given an opportunity
The theme of resilience and pushing through tough times is also reflected in Rertimanu's experience in the media industry.
"I never used my Pasificness or my cultural background as an excuse not to succeed," says Retimanu.
"If anything, it was the total opposite. It made me want to achieve more and I wanted not be just a news reader. I wanted to be the best news reader."
She attributes this grit to her parents, who she lost when she was young.
"I always remember my father, with us living in Invercargill, knowing that whatever happens to his children, they need to do well because they will always be looked at because of their colour."
Retimanu took this concern onboard and understood early that she would have to push harder than others if she was going to be given a shot.
That determination has paid off, with Retimanu having been recognised as the country's top radio newsreader no less than eight times over the course of her 37-year career.
In that time, she has seen the industry evolve markedly but says there is still need for change.
"When I started I did Pacific Island journalism course in Manukau - and it was the only one. That was back in 1989, and it was really hard when we all left and we were trying to find jobs. There were 17 of us... Everyone was sending out their CVs and a lot of mainstream newspaper, TV and radio outlets were coming back to us and saying: 'Is this a real course?' And that is not a word of a lie.
"That kind of thing, when I think back to it, really upsets me now."
While progress is being made, Retimanu says work still needs to be done to address the imbalance that continues to persist in mainstream media.
"I'd love to see more Māori and Pasifika in mainstream top radio areas. But in saying that, we've got to find out why more Māori and Pasifika aren't coming through in terms of their choices. I know that with Pasifika, journalism and news reading haven't always been the top option they wanted to choose. We need to find out why that is."
Faumuina agrees with this point, saying that the New Zealand we see and hear in the media needs to reflect the country we see when we walk onto the streets.
"To empower the next generation and allow them to be exposed to that opportunity, representation needs to happen," Faumuina.
This is also not just around here, around this table, but also around the big governance table."
She adds that a true shift in the culture of media organisations will only happen everyone around the governance table starts supporting the shift.
"It can't only be one person [around the board table] wanting to pursue that change. It actually has to be everyone around that table who wants to see that change. That when things are really going to shift."
- Listen to The Front Page to hear the full conversation. Season two of Straight Up with Niva and Beatrice begins October 8.
• The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
• You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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