John Henzell’s curriculum vitae
John Henzell
For 12 years, I was a senior reporter for The Press in Christchurch, which for the last two years has been named as New Zealand’s best daily newspaper. Besides my 25 years in journalism, I’ve also climbed on all seven continents, hitchhiked through Australia’s Simpson Desert, run the London Marathon for charity, hiked the length of the contiguous United States via the Pacific Crest Trail, and appeared as the journalist character in Melbourne writer Jill Dobson’s 1990 novel, Time To Go.
As an Australian citizen, I’m eligible for an E-3 visa, allowing me to work in the United States indefinitely in renewable two year increments. Details of the visa can be found here on the website of the United States embassy in Canberra, Australia.
WORK HISTORY:
1996-2008:
The Press in Christchurch, New Zealand.
I was a senior reporter for the past 12 years at The Press, which for the last two years has been named the New Zealand newspaper of the year. My rounds included justice, crime, environment, the outdoors, and the Antarctic, and my work spanned hard news and features. I’ve also written a column on the outdoors for the newspaper’s weekend section. You can read why the editor of The Press described me as “a first-class journalist… simply outstanding” in my references here. You can see a selection of my published work here.
Freelance writing, 1996 to 2008.
I’ve also had a sideline as a freelance writer and photographer. In the last year, my work has appeared throughout the world in Alpinist in the United States, New Zealand Wilderness, a cover story in New Zealand Outside, and I wrote the text for a Random House book titled Coast to Coast: Celebrating 25 Years of New Zealand’s Greatest Race. Over the years my work has been published as the lead story for two of Australia’s biggest newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sunday Age in Melbourne. I’m also an adept amateur photographer and a selection of my work can be found here.
1993-1995: Strand News Service Ltd, London, England.
I was second in charge of Britain’s biggest court news reporting agency, which was based at the Royal Courts of Justice on Fleet Street. In three years, I managed to get my work on the front pages of every English national daily newspaper, as well as filing to every level of news outlet — from hourly BBC radio reports to monthly magazines — in Britain and throughout the world. You can read my reference from this job here. (LINK TO .gif FILE MARKED “STRAND”)
1990-1993: Central News, London.
I was news editor and chief of staff for a news reporting agency based at the Old Bailey, as London’s Central Criminal Court is better known. My work covered everything from IRA trials, serial killers, and multi-million pound corporate frauds. You can read my reference from this job here. (LINK TO .gif FILE SLUGGED “CENTRAL”)
1989: Victorian Alpine News, Melbourne, Australia.
I spent a winter working for a ski-industry tabloid reporting on the skifields of the Australian state of Victoria.
1986-1989: The Broadmeadows Observer, Melbourne.
I was senior reporter for a suburban weekly newspaper, based in Melbourne’s north west suburbs. During my time, the Observer won the award for best newspaper in its category. You can read my reference for this job here. (LINK TO .gif FILE SLUGGED “LEADER”)
1985: LAM magazine, London, England.
I was an editorial assistant on LAM magazine, based on the itinerant Antipodean populations based in Britain.
1983-1984: Semper magazine, Brisbane, Australia.
For two years I was elected editor of the University of Queensland’s student newspaper, Semper. My second term involved the biggest winning margin of any elected position in the student council that year.
1980-1984: Bachelor of Arts, University of Queensland, Australia.
I have a degree in journalism, involving both print and broadcast media, from Australia’s longest-established journalism school. My second major was in psychology.