The Marketing Association has announced a deadline extension to submit entries for the NZ Direct Marketing Awards to be held at the Langham Auckland on Thursday 26 February next year.

Masterchef New Zealand has been an outstanding performer for TVNZ – but now the network has decided to bring the series to an end. “Viewers are increasingly demanding innovative new content formats and our significant commitment to new local productions is a reflection of this trend,” says programming chief Jeff Latch. “This also means we have to say goodbye to some existing older formats. We’ve decided not to renew MasterChef NZ.”

Like most global citizens, Kiwis are routinely bombarded with traffic-hazard ads – many of them multiple award-winners. So M+AD readers may be interested in VW’s new take on the subject, out of Ogilvy & Mather China.

Like most ad-trade media, M+AD generally does not generally dwell on lesser criminal charges involving ad people. But we cannot ignore the recent case of a senior Auckland adman’s name suppression after his conviction on charges of exporting child rape images.

The 2015 Asia Pacific Effie Awards has announced its call for entries, which is open to entries from Australia and New Zealand.

Auckland-based corporate communications agency One Plus One has been awarded the Greater Group PR account for Asia, Australia and New Zealand, without a pitch, and been given a remit to further improve the profile of the international design-led retail agency.

Students at both Auckland creative ad schools are celebrating a big week which saw a flurry of gongs from the International Crowbar Student Awards, plus a fistful from the Newspaper Ad Awards.