In Hawke's Bay, every place has a story

Newspapers here boldly promote themselves on company cars driven by staff members. On a visit to a nature preserve near Hastings on the North Island, we came across a white compact emblazoned with the logo and slogan of the regional daily, Hawke’s Bay Today. I introduced myself to the driver, a reporter with the fitting name of Mark Story.

Mark was stationed at a carpark about 100meters (330 feet) below the summit of Te Mata, the highest point in this fruit-growing and wine-producing region. Mark’s assignment was to stake out the road for two hours and report on what he discovered. His observations were to become the first in a series of features called “Our Place.” Here’s how Mark began his account:

I love cop stakeout scenes. Endless greasy burgers, doughnuts and bottomless cups of coffee complement any workstation I say. So when I'm asked to spend two hours in an observational role atop Te Mata Peak - with a view to penning all that ensues - I load the passenger seat with savouries.

By savouries, he means meat pies, sausage rolls and the like, which are staples of the New Zealand diet. On this rainy autumn morning, visitors are few and far between. Mark discovers (and photographs) a group of Mormon missionaries posing for a photo and a father with two children riding a three-seat tandem bike up the steep hill. (You can read the full story here.)

At the newspaper office the following day, I learn that Today is a relatively young publication born in 1999 from the merger of papers in Napier (population 55,539) and Hastings (population 70,842). The towns are about 20 km (13 miles) apart. At the morning news meeting, editor Antony Phillips, quizzes the chief reporter about the locales of stories. Afterwards, he tells me that he doesn’t seek to match Hastings and Napier stories every day, but hopes for parity over the long term. I was reminded of similar discussions at the Idahonian over balancing the front-page news between Moscow and Pullman.

“Our Place” is an attempt to bring more human-interest stories into the paper by visiting places off the traditional news beats (courts, council meetings, etc.). It reminded me of David Johnson’s weekly column in the Lewiston Tribune, “Everyone Has a Story.” This variation might be called “Every Place Has a Story.”