Congratulations on your success at the Voyager Awards. What does it take to write a successful feature?
Thanks! It was a shock. Even just being nominated alongside incredible writers like Guyon Espiner and Naomi Arnold was an honour. I've learnt so much from their work. That's my first tip: writing a good feature involves reading lots of good features! The work of this year's Voyager nominees would be a great place to start. 

My next bit of advice is to find a great editor. I'm very lucky to have had amazing mentors and editors at the magazines and newspapers I've written for. Rachel Morris, for example, the former Editor of North & South, spent an ungodly amount of time helping shape the stories that formed the basis of my Voyager nominations this year into compelling narratives, for which I’m eternally grateful.

Perhaps more specifically, my best advice is to start your story with a person. All of my favourite stories revolve around one person's vivid and challenging experiences. If you want to show how systems of power work, how grand injustices are carried off, or why some global problem is getting worse, tell it through a specific person's story.

What does a day in your life look like?
It varies! Part of being a good writer is having a diverse set of experiences to draw on. I've trained as a lawyer, worked in the High Court as a judge’s clerk, served as an Army Reservist, and regularly volunteered at Wellington's City Mission, among other things. In each of those different worlds, I might have been writing memos, on a firing range, or in the Newtown kitchen making lunches, and then stealing moments to write when I can. There’s no one formula, but I would strongly encourage aspiring journalists (I still feel I am one!) to seek a variety of experiences and communities to learn and draw from.

I'm currently juggling graduate school with my writing, so I have a very intricate to-do list with lots of neat boxes to tick. That way I know exactly what I have to get through when I find I've got a few spare hours between classes. Usually, that involves sitting in a nice library somewhere (the Butler Library on campus has some amazing nooks and crannies).

What areas are you interested in covering?
Honestly, everything. I've got a very eclectic set of interests. I've written a lot about foreign policy and the experiences of Kiwis at the intersection of global crises and world affairs, which I don't think we talk about enough in Aotearoa. Here's a story I loved writing about when Saif Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and current Libyan power player, partied his way through Queenstown.

I'm fascinated by law and crime, politics and power, and how the four intersect. Here's the first feature story I ever wrote, on how Peter Ellis's fight to prove his innocence combined with hidden judicial politics to drive a reshaping of our legal system.

But I've also been sucked into topics as diverse as oat milk in Southland, the rise of women's rugby, and the clash over how mātauranga Māori is treated by university academics. Effectively, my beat is "good yarns". 

Top tips for PR pitches?
I don't get a lot of pitches, but the best ones I've received are from people who have clearly read my previous work. They drew a connection between my previous writing, and whatever they're pitching now. They also highlighted specific people's stories and the drama, stakes, or wider themes that are interesting. 

Don't send me generic announcements. Instead, send me specific ideas with explanations of why they are important, interesting, and resonant stories to tell.

What has been your favourite story to date?
I'm going to cheat and give two! You can ignore everything else I've written so long as you read these.

The first is this story, about how two Kiwis diplomats worked with the CIA to save Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis. I remember watching Ben Affleck's blockbuster movie Argo - the Hollywood version of this story - at my fourteenth birthday party and being in awe of his CIA character. Turns out, he needed a lot of help! I was really proud to correct the historical record, nine years on.

The second is this story, about what one Kiwi mercenary did in Iraq and Afghanistan and how he came back from it deeply traumatised. It's one of the most ethically complicated stories I've ever told. I'm still not sure what I think about it. But I'm grateful to the sources, especially Rawiri, who spoke to me so honestly. They helped illuminate problems affecting hundreds, if not thousands, of Kiwis around the country.

Any tips for young journalists starting out in the industry?
Reach out! I've been lucky to have dozens of mentors throughout my career. I always want to help others in turn. The same is true for pretty much everyone in New Zealand journalism: we just want to help more people tell better stories about important topics to change the world, a little bit at a time.