AUCKLAND, Today: Rainger & Rolfe CD Chris Long has taken time out to deal with family health issues – but will continue to work with the agency on a day-to-day basis.

NEW YORK, Today: NZME has won three global media awards overnight – one of only three media companies in the world to collect three or more first-place trophies at the International News Media Association Awards, hosted virtually from the USA.

AUCKLAND, Today: DDB Group Aotearoa has appointed Priya Patel as its new ceo – the first time the agency has tapped a female for the role. She will now relocate from Australia.

AUCKLAND, Today: Leveraging the insight that many Aucklanders tried cycling in their neighbourhoods for the first time during lockdown last year, Auckland Transport and Federation successfully launched a summer cycling campaign to actively encourage regular, more purposeful short commutes to the shops, Saturday sports, and even trips to the beach.

AUCKLAND, Thursday: DHL Express, with Kingsland indie Darkhorse, has launched a campaign to promote its additional dedicated trans-Tasman aircraft, which directly connects Auckland and Christchurch to Melbourne.

AUCKLAND, Today: As a long standing partner and supporter of Youthline, oOh!media has signed up the oOh! team for Walk the Talk and challenged their own clients to get on board.

AUCKLAND, Today: Long-established Kiwi promoter Stewart Macpherson (who operates under the moniker Stetson Productions) is offering agency clients a piece of the action in his latest project – an exhibition of high-quality reproductions of the frescoes of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

AUCKLAND, Wednesday: Interpublic Group has sold a majority of its stake in Australian creative agency 303 MullenLowe and a minority of its stake in sister media agency Mediahub.