An Earthquake Commission (EQC) award is offering journalists an opportunity to conduct an in-depth investigation on New Zealand’s natural hazards and how to build resilience.

The latest round of Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund awards, funded by the EQC, aims to reduce the impact of natural disasters on people and property.

Dr Jo Horrocks, head of resilience and research at EQC, explained that journalists can play a key role in helping homeowners and communities manage their risks.

“Media reporting is an important way to pass information on, but there is huge time pressure on journalists nowadays. We know it’s very hard for them to be able do in-depth reporting, particularly in the natural hazards area,” Horrocks told FuseWorks Media.

“Through our journalism award, we’re offering journalists an opportunity to have the time it takes to do an in-depth piece on a really important subject for New Zealand.”

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The award offers $5,000 for projects focused on any aspect of natural hazard risk and resilience – including science research, consumer, and economy.

“We often see news that an earthquake or flood has happened, but almost nothing about the natural hazard science behind it, or how New Zealanders can limit the effects on people and property,” Horrocks said.

“That’s because natural hazards resilience is a complex field involving science, economics and an understanding of how people and communities make decisions about risk. However, we know through EQC’s resilience and research work that there is a lot homeowners and communities can do to manage natural hazard risk.”

Interested applicants may apply through the Science Journalism Fund website. Applications close on November 10.