North & South – June 2019

NORTH & SOUTH| JUNE 2019| 47

T

henewsroomofthePapamoa

Postis a quietplace.Outside,

late-summercicadasare

makinga racket.Butinside,

therearenoclackingkey-

boardsorscreamsforstories

ondeadline,noqueuesforcoffeeatthe

espressomachine.There’sa knockatthe

door,butthatturnsouttobea mandeliv-

eringa golfclub.“Formyhusband,”says

EllenIrvine,PapamoaPosteditor,report-

er,salesrep,distributor,productioneditor,

photographer,layoutsubandmotherof

Penny,agedsix.

Irvine,41,hasbeena journalistforall

her working life, bar spending five years

inPR.Shebeganasa cubreporteronthe

WairarapaTimes-Age, armedwitha

journalismdiplomaanda BAwithfirst

classhonoursinFrenchlanguageand

literature.Herfirstbylinedstorywas

abouta privateschool’snewauditorium.

Shealsocoveredthetrialoftwowomen

chargedoverthedeathofWairarapatod-

dlerHinewaiorikiKaraitiana-Matiaha,

nicknamed“Lillybing”,whichstillranks

asoneofNewZealand’smostshocking

childkillings.Herworkcaughttheeye

ofmetropolitannewspapereditorsand

landedhera jobattheEveningPostand

latertheSundayNews, whereshestaked

out celebrities and rubbed shoulders

Venetia Sherson isaNorth & South contributing writer.

LOCAL

M AT T E R S

Across the country,regionaland

communitynewspapersare being

cutto the boneorclosed down.Are

they doomed?Notaccording to

enterprisingnewowners, whoare

breathing lifebackintotheir local

rags. Venetia Sherson reports.

MEDIA

KEN DOWNIE