TVNZ’s excellence in news and current affairs has been recognised at the New Zealand Screen Awards, held in Auckland last night.
The broadcaster’s journalists dominated the news categories, including plaudits for its coverage of the Māori King’s tangi.
John Campbell was named Best Presenter: News and Current Affairs and Indira Stewart was crowned Reporter of the Year.
Te Karere host Scotty Morrison won the coveted Screen Personality of the Year award – the only honour that is judged by public voting.
The awards, held at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre, recognise excellence in the TV and film industry.
1News won the Best News Coverage award for its reporting on the Māori King Kiingi Tuheitia’s tangi last year, featuring a range of live broadcasts from Tūrangawaewae Marae in the town of Ngāruawāhia.
1News was also a finalist in this category for the coverage of the Tasman floods earlier this year.
John Campbell was named Best Presenter: News and Current Affairs for a portfolio that included covering the Māori King’s funeral. His entry also featured hosting a live Q+A special on Budget Day, presenting a Q+A local government election special and his fill-in role co-hosting Breakfast.
Jack Tame, Q+A host and the newly-announced 1News weekend bulletin presenter, was also a finalist in this category.
Campbell’s InDepth team colleague Stewart won the coveted Reporter of the Year category.
Her portfolio featured Children of Prisoners – an investigation into the lives of children serving their own invisible sentence when a parent is sent to prison.
Other stories included a series of interviews which gave a rare insight into the lives of women in gangs, probing accusations that the Shincheonji Church of Jesus is a cult, and for an investigation into under-age sex workers.
1News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver was a finalist for Reporter of the Year.
Stewart was also a double winner at the Voyager Media Awards held earlier this year.
“It’s extremely gratifying to see 1News’ journalism be recognised across so many categories at the NZTV Awards,” said TVNZ’s Executive Editor of News, Phil O’Sullivan.
“It’s a great responsibility to report and present coverage on news events in this country and we are thrilled our people are acknowledged for doing it so well.”
In television, the second season of TVNZ’s crime drama The Gone 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 first season of The Gone, produced by Kingfisher Films/Keeper Pictures and Southern Light Films, claimed five awards at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards.
In the film categories, the late director Lee Tamahori’s historical drama The Convert was the standout winner, receiving 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.
Tamahori, 75, died earlier this month after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
