Local Democracy Reporting

What is Local Democracy Reporting?

The Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) programme is a free public-interest news service dedicated to strengthening coverage of local authorities, rūnanga and other similar organisations.

Local democracy reporters are in place in Northland (NZME), Auckland (Stuff), South Auckland (PMN), Rotorua (NZME), Eastern Bay of Plenty (Whakatāne Beacon), Taranaki (Te Korimako o Taranaki), Whanganui (Awa FM), Tairāwhiti (Gisborne Herald), Western Bay of Plenty (Sun Live), Wairarapa (Wairarapa Times-Age), Nelson (Nelson Weekly), Marlborough (Stuff), West Coast (Greymouth Star), Mid Canterbury (Ashburton Guardian), North Canterbury (North Canterbury News) and Southland (Otago Daily Times).

The reporters are employed by, and report to, their host newsrooms but receive extra mentoring, training and support from RNZ. All stories are shared with a wide range of media partners, including RNZ.

The programme is managed and funded by RNZ with the support of NZ On Air. It was designed to fill gaps in reporting, mostly in regional New Zealand, brought about by decreases in reporting numbers in traditional media.

How can New Zealand media companies access the content?

All of the content made possible by the LDR programme is freely available to all New Zealand media organisations that apply to access it and meet these criteria: 

• You are a genuine media organisation providing a reputable public news service to an established audience within New Zealand. 
• You accept the jurisdiction and adhere to the principles of the NZ Media Council and/or Broadcasting Standards Authority. 
• You have a robust system for handling complaints. 

You must also agree to the terms and conditions for the use of the content, including attribution requirements, which will be provided to you upon receipt of your application.  

You will then be given access to the LDR content system, which includes all of the local democracy reporters’ stories, photos and video/audio. You will be able to publish or broadcast the stories on your own platforms. 

Media wishing to publish or broadcast the stories on their own platforms can sign up any time. 

Applications will be assessed by RNZ and approval will be at RNZ’s discretion. 

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE LDR CONTENT BY BECOMING A MEDIA PARTNER 

What about newsroom funding applications to host a reporter? 

The most recent host newsroom funding application deadline was December 2023. To be notified about future opportunities, please contact LDR Manager David Reid.

What are the LDRs able to cover? 

The LDRs focus exclusively on stories about publicly appointed or elected officials or bodies. This includes but isn’t limited to local councils, council committees, community boards, council-owned commercial enterprises, health entities, local trusts, iwi organisations, and port or airport authorities.

The brief is to report on the decision-making process: what decisions are made in the public’s name and how are they arrived at; what evidence is presented to the councils, etc.

It also means going out and talking to the people affected and sharing their stories and perspectives.

Who runs the LDR programme?

The LDR programme is administered by LDR Manager David Reid, who is based in Wellington, and LDR Editor Marika Hill, who is based in Christchurch. 

The local democracy reporters report to their host newsrooms. Any story tips, suggestions or other feedback, including complaints, should be directed to the relevant newsroom in the first instance.  

The programme is modelled on a similar one run by the BBC in the UK.