Trackside is a great organisation to work with and the Otago team this year has been fantastic. It’s brilliant to work alongside like-minded people from all sorts of different media backgrounds. I have enjoyed making connections new and old in the local industry and also being back working in broadcasting in the deep south.

Trackside puts out a mammoth amount of broadcast content. As a result, we work long hours and often travel big distances to and from each venue. This means early starts and a lot of time spent on the road or up a camera tower.

Filming harness and gallops racing, you can appreciate the skill and the competition from the drivers and the jockeys. It is also impressive to witness the power and speed which the horses showcase, a real glimpse inside a classic kiwi sporting world.

Since returning to Ōtepoti, I have been delighted to be a part of the Trackside team. I have been working as a camera operator, covering race meetings across the South Island of New Zealand.

I thought that the one year mark would be a good time to share what it’s like working for the Otago team and give a bit of insight in to what I have been up to.

A highlight of the past year was the summer circuit of races. It was really great to be back in Central Otago, covering race meetings in the hot sun at some of the smaller NZ race tracks such as Omakau and Roxburgh. Another highlight was be being involved in the NZ Cup Week in Christchurch, where I got to see how large the scale of production can be. It was very impressive.

One new skill that I am excited to be working on is capturing footage with a steadicam. With the equipment weighing in at over 25kg, it’s not for the faint-hearted! One of my objectives this year is to continue to lengthen the time that I can wear the rig for. Some of the shots that can be produced with the steadicam are brilliant and this spurs me on to continue to improve.