National Diploma in Journalism - Todd Ward

Reporter / Waitomo News – Te Kuiti
Community Newspapers Association 2009 Best Young Reporter (7500)

The editing process my stories went through at the WITT Journalism school helped me develop an inner critic and become a better journalist.

You have to put your ego aside and let your tutor guide you – and they certainly put you on the right path.

Even before enrolling at WITT, I’d always loved reading newspapers, even on breaks at building sites.

It became really, almost a passion, the news. I had a passion for the news, I think. I would pick up a newspaper and go over it every day, keeping up on the state of the world.

So I decided to become a reporter and enrolled in the National Diploma in Journalism at WITT.

I was lucky enough to find a job immediately after graduating in December 2008 at Te Kuiti, relatively close to my home town of Waitara, which was a real bonus. 

There are quite a few similarities between the two towns, cold beer, rugby on a Saturday night; hard-working towns.