Date Released: December 1st 2025
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For the second year running, Tim Hunter, of NBR, has taken out the 2025 NZSA Business Journalist of the Year, amongst a strong field of entrants spanning New Zealand media organisations. It is the fourth time Hunter has won the Award in the eight years of its existence.
Proudly hosted by the New Zealand Shareholders’ Association (NZSA) and generously supported by Simplicity, National Business Review (NBR) and NZX Limited, the awards showcase the best of New Zealand Business Journalism. Prizes were awarded in four categories, with additional awards for the Emerging Business Journalist of the Year (Alice Peacock, Newsroom) and the overall New Zealand Business Journalist of the Year (Tim Hunter, NBR).
While the judges noted Hunter’s forensic approach to his work underpinning his successive Awards, Hunter noted that “the ability to be independent” was the most powerful factor in creating a great story.
Alice Peacock noted that she “learned much during her experience working overseas that was directly applicable to the work I do at Newsroom.”
For the first time, an Award was made for a new category, Business Broadcasting. The inaugural category winner was Jonathan Milne of Newsroom for his presentation of a long investigation into New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his international supplement business, AG1.
“Good journalism requires investment,” says Milne. “We received support from the Brian Gaynor initiative [a source of funding for key journalistic projects] that let us chase this story from the cold depths of Invercargill to Columbia.”
The 2025 Awards are the eighth edition of the NZ Business Journalism Awards hosted by NZSA. In his comments, NZ Shareholders’ Association (NZSA) Chief Executive noted that for journalists, “…vested interests shouldn’t matter. Your roles serve the public interest, thriving on independence and evidence to create credibility in your work. This is a familiar role to the NZ Shareholders’ Association perspective, sounds very familiar.”
Finalists and Winners
Business News
- Jenée Tibshraeny, NZ Herald WINNER
The real story on Adrian Orr’s resignation
- Ian Llewellyn, BusinessDesk
Māui gas field at end of life, timing TBD
- Nona Pelletier, RNZ National
Year to Quantum aka Y2Q
Business Commentary
- Nicholas Pointon, National Business Review WINNER
The ‘bemusing’ world of patsy directors
- Tim Hunter, National Business Review WINNER
The would-be NZME emperor has no clothes
- Pattrick Smellie, BusinessDesk
A rare glimpse into NZ sharemarket manipulation
Business Features
- Tim Hunter, National Business Review WINNER
The dangerous dreams of John Denize
- Andrew Bevin, Newsroom
Bloody terror at sea sparks call for camera reform
- Nicholas Jones, Stuff
Aged care investigation: Blind and deaf 98-year-old died in isolation
- Gregor Thompson, BusinessDesk
Harvey Norman
Business Broadcasting
- Jonathan Milne, Newsroom WINNER
Powder Keg
- Garth Bray, NZ Herald
The Du Val Story
- Frances Cook, Making Cents
The Making Cents podcast: How to find a financial adviser you can trust
Young Business Journalist
Alice Peacock, Newsroom
Business Journalist of the Year Award
Tim Hunter, National Business Review
Judges
Three independent judges, Dr. James Hollings, Gyles Beckford and Jenni McManus, volunteered their journalism and business expertise to read and assess around 90 entries.
Dr. James Hollings
Dr James Hollings researches and teaches journalism at Massey University. Drawing on 18 years as a full-time professional journalist, his main research interests are around journalism practice, especially investigative journalism, with a special interest in journalism psychology.
He is also on the board or involved in governance of various journalism-related bodies, such as the NZ Centre for Investigative Journalism, and has advised on journalism-related issues to various corporate and government bodies, such as the NZ Law Commission.
His teaches the Master of Journalism course and an undergraduate course in Investigative Journalism. Having produced two film documentaries, he also has a specialty in long-form non-fiction content.
Gyles Beckford
Gyles has been a journalist for more than 35 years, including stints with provincial newspapers, a ministerial press secretary, a long stint as local bureau chief for Reuters news agency. He has over 20 years reporting on everything business, investment, economics and commerce.
He has worked with Radio New Zealand, presented on Morning Report, participated in the RNZ-Newsroom “Two Cents Worth” podcast, and sis member of the combined RNZ-TVNZ unit that reported on the Panama Papers.
Jenni McManus
Jenni has nearly 40 years’ experience as a financial journalist, editor and newspaper owner. In 1991, she and the late Warren Berryman founded The Independent Business Weekly, an award-winning publication with a strong focus on investigative journalism. She is a winner of more than 21 journalism awards, including the Citibank award and Senior Reporter of the Year at the 1997 Qantas awards. She has ghost-written two books, In the Arena (with Diane Foreman) and A Woman’s Place (with Joan Withers) and taught the ATI journalism course from 1983-1986. She is currently the editor of LawNews, a stand-alone website published by the Auckland District Law Society, and does some freelance work.
Photos
Event photos will be available soon on NZSA’s website. An initial selection of images is available at this link.
Looking ahead to 2026
The 2026 Business Journalism Awards will be back in full force in November 2026. Entries are expected to close in early September 2026, for works between October 1st 2025 and August 31st 2026.