Matt Stewart (37) and Naeem (pronounced "name") Alvi (23) have joined the newspaper this week, working for both the ODT and the Queenstown Times, replacing Joanne Carroll and Henrietta Kjaer.
Matt Stewart joins the Otago Daily Times Queenstown bureau after three years at the Wairarapa Times-Age where he covered court, crime and provided a weekly column of unhinged ramblings called Matt Time.
Mr Stewart graduated from Whitireia Journalism School in 2005 and went on to write an occasional column for The Dominion Post as well as book reviewing for arts weekly the Capital Times before moving to Masterton in 2007.
Mr Alvi graduated with a first-class journalism honours degree in 2008 from University College, Falmouth, in England.
He then set off on an adventure around Canada and the United States where he began a freelance career, primarily in adventure travel writing.
Returning to the United Kingdom he continued to work on a freelance basis until he was offered a more permanent position as a ski reporter in the French alps. Once the season ended in Europe he followed the snow to Queenstown.
Mr Stewart can be contacted on his cellphone, 027-268-9012 or by email, matthew.stewart@odt.co.nz; Mr Alvi on 027-644-5689 or by email, naeem.alvi@odt.co.nz, or at the ODT Queenstown office, (03) 442 6157.
