A proposed public relations campaign for Go Eco environmental charity – focused on building long-term relationships with local farmers – won the Waikato Management School Public Relations Campaigns Competition.
Puumanawa PR team member Ben Woodgates said they knew their campaign was ambitious.
Puumanawa PR, from left: George Poolman, Seamus Lohrey, Zack Robertson, Ziyue Li, Ben Woodgates.
“But we thought, why go small when we can go big?
“When we gathered primary research, the problems and opportunities were clear, and we knew we had potential to make a significant impact.”
Other team members were Waikato PR students Seamus Lohrey, George Poolman and Zack Robertson.
The judging panel praised the team for their professional and humorous presentation, which pitched the idea of GoEco launching an accreditation scheme of farms’ sustainable practices.
“It was awesome to see our hard work translated into a tangible strategy for a real-life charity here in the Waikato,” said Lohrey.
“It was the first time we could really apply everything we had learned throughout our degree and doing it for such a good cause feels great.”
Wise Group senior communications and engagement adviser Kate Monahan-Riddell, foreground.
Wise Group senior communications and engagement adviser Kate Monahan-Riddell, one of the judges, said Puumanawa PR did an outstanding job.
“The way they did this was well thought out, collaborative and multi-faceted. They pulled together all of their learnings in public relations, communications and marketing over the three years of their degrees, demonstrating their excellent knowledge and skills in this real-life pitch to the four judges.
“They could stand alongside any PR professional in any agency or company and feel proud of their mahi.”
The awards were launched in 2003 as part of a public relations paper. Each team is set the task of developing a strategic communication plan for a real client organisation.
Waikato public relations alumna Chamanthie Sinhalage-Fonseka, who as a student was on the winning team of the PR Campaigns competition in 2011, was on the panel with associate professor Cheryl Cockburn Wootten and Belle PR marketing advisor Cushla Carey who was part of the winning team last year.
Waikato public relations alumna Chamanthie Sinhalage-Fonseka
The other finalists were:
‘Pokarekare Ana PR’ (Janavi Shah, Xanthe Wainui-Mackle, Milla Ware, Emma Wilson, and Jaedeen Wynne-Te Namu) designed a cause-related PR campaign with Mitre 10 to raise funds for Go Eco via sales of a sustainable gardening kit.
Pokarekare Ana PR
‘Bright PR’ (Olivia Blakey, Zoey Cayanan, and Sriganesh Sivasubramaniyam) proposed a Go Eco students club that would organise events on campus to reduce fashion waste, promote energy efficiency, and other environmental issues.
Bright PR
Winning team, from left: George Poolman, Ben Woodgates, Seamus Lohrey, Zack Robertson with associate professor Margalit Toledano. Photo: Myles McInnes.
