Legendary Director’s Last Triumph

The highly anticipated awards ceremony, now celebrating excellence across all screen content – including both television and film – took place at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland, where the best in the industry was honoured for their outstanding contributions to New Zealand’s screen sector.

The dazzling red-carpet event was hosted by comedian Pax Assadi, whose trademark wit kept guests entertained throughout the evening as they celebrated a year of exceptional achievements across multiple categories.

The late Lee Tamahori’s historical drama The Convert was the standout winner securing five major honours across the evening.

The film received recognition for Directors and Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand Best Director: Drama Feature, Images and Sound Best Cinematography: Feature, Best Production Design: Feature, Best Costume Design: Feature and Best Makeup Design: Feature.

The Best Director: Feature award was accepted by The Convert producers Robin Scholes and Te Kohe Tuhaka on behalf of Lee Tamahori and his whanau, acknowledging his extraordinary vision and lasting contribution to New Zealand cinema.

Taking out the award for New Zealand Film Commission’s Best Feature Film was Ka Whawhai Tonu, the critically acclaimed film about a young Māori girl who guides her people into a brutal battle against colonial British forces in 1864. The film was also awarded a trophy for Images and Sound Best Original Score: Feature.

In television, The Gone (S2), the gripping crime drama produced by Kingfisher Films / Keeper Pictures and Southern Light Films for TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, led the series categories with four prestigious awards.

Among these were New Zealand On Air Best Drama Series and Screen Auckland Best Director: Drama Series. The series’ success follows that of the show’s first season, which claimed five awards at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards.

TVNZ’s 1 News took home the 2025 award for Best News Coverage for its exceptional reportage of the Kiingitanga Tangihanga, while Great Southern TV’s The Hui was named Best Current Affairs Programme.

TVNZ also celebrated individual achievements with Indira Stewart receiving the Reporter of the Year award and John Campbell recognised as Best Presenter: News and Current Affairs.

Continuing in the programming categories, Homesteads (S2), produced by Te Imurangi Limited for Whakaata Māori and MĀORI+, was awarded the Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Programme, with Kimiora Kaire-Melbourne recognised for her work on the series.

The Te Māngai Pāho Best Reo Māori Programme was awarded to Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey 2, a Mairanga Media production for RNZ.

The win celebrates the work of Kereama Wright, Mahanga Pihama, Riria Morgan, Arthur Rasmussen and Matua Houltham, whose storytelling and commitment to te reo Māori were central to the documentary’s success.

Double Parked (S2) enjoyed a standout night in the series acting categories, with Antonia Prebble winning Best Actress in a Series and Kura Forrester receiving Best Supporting Actress in a Series. The series, produced by Kevin & Co. for Three and ThreeNow.

Feature film Tinā dominated the women’s feature acting categories, with Anapela Polata’ivao winning the Equity New Zealand Best Actress in a Feature award and Antonia Eaton receiving Best Supporting Actress in a Feature.

In other categories, Stephen Lovatt was named Best Actor in a Series for his role in New Zealand’s longest running drama series Shortland Street, produced by South Pacific Pictures for TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+, and Peter Hambleton won Best Supporting Actor in a Series for his performance in the popular musical comedy series Happiness, produced by Greenstone TV for Three and ThreeNow.

The Rule of Jenny Pen claimed both men’s feature acting awards, with John Lithgow winning Best Actor in a Feature and George Henare receiving Best Supporting Actor in a Feature.

The only publicly voted award, Screen Personality of the Year, went to TVNZ’s Te Karere host Scotty Morrison, while previously announced internationally acclaimed actor Sir Sam Neill KNZM OBE received a standing ovation as he was presented the 2025 Screen Legend Award, acknowledging his remarkable contribution to film and television both in New Zealand and abroad.

Of this year’s 56 judged categories and one publicly voted award, content screened on TVNZ channels took home 19 awards, while programmes on Three and ThreeNow collected five.

Whakaata Māori secured four category wins matched by SKY with four awards. Content screened on Stuff, RNZ and The Spinoff also each claimed a win.

This year’s results highlighted the impact of public investment in local storytelling, with NZ On Air funded programmes securing 26 awards, including content supported in partnership with Te Māngai Pāho and the New Zealand Film Commission.

Te Māngai Pāho also provided direct support with eight awards being won across six funded productions and the New Zealand Film Commission further underscoring its importance to the sector, having supported all but one of the films recognised at the awards.

➢ And here’s the NZ On Air release:

Local screen content celebrated at new NZ Screen Awards

NZ On Air joins in tonight’s celebration of local content, with 26 of the awards won by screen content that received funding from NZ On Air.

Of the awards presented at the Viaduct Events Centre event in Tāmaki Makaurau, one of the standout winners was the late Lee Tamahori’s historical drama The Convert  which won five major honours, including Best Director – Feature.

It was funded through Te Puna Kairangi Premium Productions Fund, which was administered by the NZ Film Commission, NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho. The Convert was produced by NZ On Air Board member Robin Scholes.

The other award-winning funded content reflected a broad spectrum, ranging from premium drama and comedy to investigative documentaries and current affairs alongside, this year for the first time, a number of film categories.

“The quality of local content is worldclass and it’s wonderful to be able to gather and celebrate this. Tonight’s awards give us great reason to be optimistic about the future,” says Chief Executive NZ On Air Cameron Harland.

“It is also wonderful to see the awards expanded to reflect what is a more rounded view of the local content being created in Aotearoa,” he continued.

An event partner of the overall awards ceremony, NZ On Air also sponsors four specific awards – NZ On Air Best Drama Series, won by The Gone (S2); the NZ On Air Best Documentary – Series, won by Motuhaketanga; the NZ On Air Best Children’s Programme, won by First Place; and the NZ On Air Best Pasifika Programme, won by We The South: The Manukau Rovers Story.