By Susana Suisuiki, RNZ Pacific Waves host
TVNZ’s 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has released a new memoir looking back at over 30 years of reporting in the region.
The book, titled Be Brave, details moments in Dreaver’s career in the Pacific from covering natural disasters to coups and personal tragedies.
Speaking to Pacific Waves, Dreaver said she wanted readers to see the Pacific through her eyes.
“Be Brave” – Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver reflects Video: RNZ Pacific Waves
“The Pacific is so important to the world, it is important to New Zealand and Australia and I thought, if I show it like the real stories . . . what happens behind the scenes that it just might provide, you know, share that joy really of the Pacific with people.
“I’m really concerned about the way the region is going at the moment, and I think there’s volatile times ahead and so I really decided some time ago that I wanted to record it and record, for my family as well.”
The Kiribati-born journalist also encourages up and coming Pacific journalists to report “without fear or favour”.
“When people say to you, as a Pacific journalist ‘you’re not being culturally aware’ . . . we know what’s culturally aware.
“We do and quite often people in power use it as a means of stopping you reporting.
“So you have to be really aware of the boundaries on that.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
