RE: NEWS
In 2022, Video Journalists Baz Macdonald and Anna Harcourt and I collaborated on a short documentary for Re: News, following my journey in the days leading up to surgery.
Baz Macdonald was awarded Video Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Voyager Awards, and ‘Top Surgery’ was also a finalist for Best Feature Video (Single Video Journalist).
The judges said: “Through clever storytelling Baz Macdonald humanises some of the more challenging issues society is grappling with. The stand out was Top Surgery. A beautifully crafted story which captured a level of intimacy and vulnerability that is rare to see. This issue is a complex and contentious topic in societies worldwide and this story broke down the complexity and politics with the most intimate of insights.”
Baz also wrote an accompanying article on how the public health system in Aotearoa is failing trans people. The article goes into more detail around my financial journey to getting top surgery, and some of the statistics surrounding gender affirming care in Aotearoa.
This is aotearoa
This Is Aotearoa is a kaupapa dedicated to promoting community wellbeing through storytelling. Each month, they travel across Aotearoa asking everyday people a question of the month. In September 2024, they interviewed me with the question “Who has changed your life?”
You can hear from more people on This Is Aotearoa’s website, or follow them on their social media platforms.