New Zealand Television Awards Announces 2024 Finalists

The 2024 New Zealand Television Awards are shaping up to be an exciting event, showcasing a diverse array of talent and programming from across the country. With a remarkable 121 nominations from over 490 entries, the finalists reflect a rich tapestry of storytelling and creativity in local television.

This year’s nominees span a range of content aired on local free-to-air networks including TVNZ 1 & 2, Three, Sky Open (formerly Prime), and Whakaata Māori, as well as New Zealand-made programming on pay TV, digital, and streaming platforms such as Neon, TVNZ+, ThreeNow, Newsroom, Stuff, RNZ, and Coconet TV. 

Leading the nominations is Lingo Pictures’ and Luminous Beast’s critically acclaimed TVNZ drama series After The Party, which received ten nominations, including Best Actress (Robyn Malcolm), Best Actor (Peter Mullan), and NZ On Air Best Drama.

Other contenders for the NZ On Air Best Drama award include Three's Friends Like Her (Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery ) as well as TVNZ’s bold drama about a wealthy family at the helm of a megachurch, Testify  (Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand ) which is also a finalist in four craft categories.

South Pacific Pictures’ comedy-drama Far North earned seven nominations, including nods for Best Actor (Temuera Morrison), Screen Auckland Best Director: Drama/Comedy (David White), and Best Cinematography: Drama/Comedy

In the news and current affairs group, Newshub shines, with all nominations for Best Reporter of the Year going to its journalists, Michael Morrah, Alexa Cook, and Lisette Reymer.

Recognised for their significant contributions to the industry, the nominations for the Best Presenter: News and Current Affairs category include Julian Wilcox from The Hui, Jack Tame for Q+A, RNZ’s Guyon Espiner for 30 with Guyon and Patrick Gower for Paddy Gower Has Issues.

TVNZ news has secured two nominations in the Best News Coverage category for its 1 News coverage on Election Night and Cyclone Gabrielle: One Year On, while Newshub rounds out the nominations with its coverage of the Auckland Shooting.

An entertaining mix of original programming make up the Best Original Reality Series finalists list this year, TVNZ 2’s Down For Love from Attitude Pictures, and Perpetual Entertainment’s Cooks On Fire and Great Southern Television’s The Casketeers, both for TVNZ 1.  

In the Factual and Documentary categories, Escaping Utopia, the three-part series on New Zealand’s most extreme religious cult, Gloriavale, has received four nominations including Best Factual Series and Best Director: Documentary/Factual. Also in contention is Black Coast Vanishings for Three and Scotty Morrison’s deeply personal journey, Origins (S2) for TVNZ.

In the performance categories, Friends Like Her lead Morgana O’Reilly and After The Party’s Robyn Malcolm, have been given the nod alongside Chelsie Preston Crayford for Dark City: The Cleaner and Bree Peters for her role in Great Southern Television’s local comedy Spinal Destination.

For Best Supporting Actress, nominees include Awa Puna for The Boy, The Queen, And Everything In Between, Tara Canton for After The Party, Tess Haubrich for Friends Like Her, and Roxie Mohebbi for Miles From Nowhere. In the Best Actor category, Cohen Holloway is recognized for his role in Dark City: The Cleaner, alongside esteemed actors Temuera Morrison for Far North and Peter Mullan for After The Party. 

Vying for the Best Supporting Actor trophy are Jay Ryan, who has been nominated for his role in black comedy series Creamerie, alongside Jarod Rawiri for Friends Like Her and Elz Carrad for After The Party. 

The New Zealand Television Awards 2024 Television Legend and finalists in the publicly voted 2024 Television Personality of the Year category are yet to be announced.

The New Zealand Television Awards will be held at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on Friday November 22. 

Comedian Pax Assadi has been announced as host of the 2024 event.

 New Zealand On Air Best Drama

Testify

Philippa Rennie, Sharlene George

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

After The Party

Helen Bowden, Liz DiFiore, Peter Salmon

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Friends Like Her

Sarah-Kate Lynch, Philip Smith, Kathleen Anderson Annabelle Lee-Mather, Steven Zanoski,

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

 Best Comedy

Miles From Nowhere

Ahmed Osman, Gary Scott, & Sam Wilton

Gibson Group & Homegrown Pictures / Neon / Sky Open

Kid Sister

Emily Anderton

Greenstone TV / TVNZ+

7 Days

Rob Brown, Thom Watts, 

The Downlow Concept / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

The Motherhood Anthology - Give Me Babies

Ankita Singh, Calvin Sang and Briar Collard

Eyes and Ears / Oriental Maidens / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Best Factual Series

Origins

Te Wakahuia Bernard, Tash Christie, Meg Douglas

Scottie Douglas Productions / Greenstone TV / TVNZ+ 

Black Coast Vanishings

Cass Avery & Nicola Smith

Augusto / Kindred Films / Story Time Productions / Warner Bros. Discovery  / Three & ThreeNow

Escaping Utopia

Philippa Rennie & Natalie Malcon

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

New Zealand On Air Best Documentary

Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey 

Kereama Wright, Mahanga Pihama, Riria Morgan, Arthur Rasmussen, Peter Lee, Matua Houltham

Mairanga Media / RNZ 

Hīkoi Speaking Our Truth

Whatanui Flavell

Haututū Creatives / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Family Faith Footy: A Pasifika Rugby Story

Adrian Stevanon, Gregor Paul, Abba-Rose Vaiaoga-Ioasa, Philip Smith

Great Southern Television Limited / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Original Reality Series

Cooks On Fire Season 2

 Nick Ward, Brendan Dahill, Richard Fletcher & David Arlich

Perpetual Entertainment NZ / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Down For Love Season 2

Rachel Jean

Attitude Pictures / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

The Casketeers

Vivienne Wigby-Ngatai, Annabelle Lee Mather, Philip Smith

Great Southern Television Limited / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Current Affairs Programme

 Q+A with Jack Tame

Alex Braae and the Q+A team

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Paddy Gower Has Issues

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Sunday - The Final Episode

Sunday Team

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Newsroom Investigates with Melanie Reid

Newsroom.co.nz

New Zealand On Air Best Children's Programme

Island of Mystery: Te Wā o Matariki

Andrea Kahukiwa

Adrenalin

Fresh Fairytales 2

Hope Papali’i and Eileen Lee

Coconet TV

Kiri & Lou

Fiona Copland

Kiri and Lou Ltd / Sky

KEA Kids News

Luke Nola and Kendall Kanoa Kukahiko

 Luke Nola & Friends

Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Programme

NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana

Mihingarangi Forbes, Annabelle Lee-Mather

Aotearoa Media Collective / RNZ / TVNZ+

Hīkoi Speaking our truth

Whatanui Flavell

Haututū Creatives / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Origins

Te Wakahuia Bernard, Tash Christie, Meg Douglas

Scottie Douglas Productions / Greenstone TV / TVNZ+

Te Māngai Pāho Best Reo Māori Programme

Waka Huia

Meg Douglas, Whatanui Flavell

Scottie Douglas Productions Limited / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Te Karere – Nationwide Activation Day

Rapaera Tawhai and the Te Karere team

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey 

Kereama Wright, Mahanga Pihama, Riria Morgan, Arthur Rasmussen, Peter Lee, Matua Houltham

Mairanga Media / RNZ 

New Zealand On Air Best Pasifika Programme

Still Here

Ursula Grace Williams, Josh Yong, Torisse Laulu

Four and Five Films Ltd / Re:News / TVNZ+

Untold Pacific History

 Damon Fepulea'i and Tuki Laumea

Coconet TV

Family Faith Footy: A Pasifika Rugby Story

Adrian Stevanon, Gregor Paul, Abba-Rose Vaiaoga-Ioasa, Philip Smith

Great Southern Television Limited / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best News Coverage

Cyclone Gabrielle – One Year On

1News at Six

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Auckland Shooting

Newshub

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Election Night

1News at Six

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Sports Programme

All Blacks: In Their Own Words

James Gemmell, Tim Dale-Fuller, Jon Wild

Whisper Films / NZR+

Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey 

Kereama Wright, Mahanga Pihama, Riria Morgan, Arthur Rasmussen, Peter Lee, Matua Houltham

Mairanga Media / RNZ 

Relentless

Alex Bradshaw, Tara Durrant

Fire Fire / TVNZ+

Best Live Event Coverage

Anzac 2024

Ngatapa Black, Wayne Leonard, Sean Murphy

Whakaata Māori / MĀORI+

Super Rugby Final 2024 - Blues v Chiefs

Marcus Kennedy, Mark Kearns, Will Meiklejohn

Sky Sport NZ / Sky Sport 1

Ngā Tohu Matariki o te Tau 2023

Ngatapa Black

Whakaata Māori / MĀORI+

Ngā Kapa Haka Kura Tuarua o Aotearoa

Ngatapa Black, Kereti Rautangata, Kororia Taumaunu

Whakaata Māori / MĀORI+

Best Entertainment Programme

New Zealand Today

Bronwynn Bakker, Guy Williams, Matt Cooke, Cam Bakker

Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Code - The Reunion

Joe Whitehead, Bailey Mackey

Pango Productions / Whakaata Māori / MĀORI+

Taskmaster NZ

Cam Bakker, Bronwynn Bakker

Kevin & Co / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Best Director: Documentary/Factual

Laurie Clarke

Our Country’s Shame

SunPix Ltd

Sophie Musgrove & Siddharth Nambiar

Dynamic Planet

NHNZ Worldwide / NEON / Sky Open / Sky Go

Natalie Malcon, Justin Pemberton & Britta Hawkins

Escaping Utopia

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Megan Jones & Candida Beveridge

Black Coast Vanishings

Augusto / Kindred Films / Story Time Productions / Warner Bros. Discovery  / Three & ThreeNow

Screen Auckland Best Director: Drama / Comedy Drama

Calvin Sang

The Motherhood Anthology - Give Me Babies

Eyes and Ears / Oriental Maidens / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

The 8 Pan-Asian Women Directors of Kāinga

Kāinga

Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions Ltd / RNZ

David White

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Peter Salmon

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Actress

Bree Peters

Spinal Destination

Great Southern Television / Whitiora Productions / Sky

Chelsie Preston Crayford

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

Robyn Malcolm

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Morgana O’Reilly

Friends Like Her

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Supporting Actress 

Tara Canton

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Tess Haubrich

Friends Like Her

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Awa Puna 

The Boy, The Queen, And Everything In Between

Lucky Legs Media Ltd / TVNZ+

Roxie Mohebbi

Miles From Nowhere

Gibson Group & Homegrown Pictures / Neon & Sky Open

Best Actor

Cohen Holloway

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

Peter Mullan

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Temuera Morrison

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Supporting Actor 

Jarod Rawiri

Friends Like Her

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Elz Carrad

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Jay Ryan

Creamerie Season 2

Kevin and Co. / Flat 3 Productions Ltd / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Reporter of the Year 

Alexa Cook

Newshub

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Lisette Reymer

Newshub

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Michael Morrah

Newshub

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Presenter: Entertainment

Guy Williams

New Zealand Today

Kevin & Co / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Dave Letele

Heavyweight with Dave Letele

Heavyweight Media / South Pacific Pictures / TVNZ+

Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams

Taskmaster NZ

Kevin & Co / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Karen O’Leary

Paddy Gower Has Issues

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Presenter: News And Current Affairs

Julian Wilcox

The Hui

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery /  Three & ThreeNow

Jack Tame 

 Q+A with Jack Tame

TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Guyon Espiner

30 with Guyon Espiner

RNZ

Patrick Gower

Paddy Gower Has Issues

Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Editing: Documentary or Factual

Tori Bindoff, Carl Budden

Escaping Utopia

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Margot Francis and James Brown

Black Coast Vanishings

Augusto / Kindred Films / Story Time Productions / Warner Bros. Discovery  / Three & ThreeNow

Toby Longbottom

The Long Game

Stuff Circuit

Chris Anderton

NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana

Aotearoa Media Collective / RNZ / TVNZ+

Best Editing: Drama / Comedy Drama

Allanah Bazzard

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

Eric de Beus

Testify

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Denise Haratzis

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Camerawork: Documentary or Factua

Mark Chamberlin

The Hui

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Chris Watkins

WTF is Crypto?

Reel Factory / TVNZ+

Dean Cornish and Mark Russell

Troy Kingi’s Desert Hīkoi

Tavake / TVNZ+

Best Director: Multi-Camera

Matt Barrett 

Anzac 2024

Whakaata Māori

Marcus Kennedy

The Rugby Championship - All Blacks v South Africa

Sky Sport NZ / Sky Sport 1

Matt Quin

NRL playoffs - Warriors v Knights

Sky Sport NZ / Sky Sport 1

Mark Kearns

Super Rugby Final 2024 - Blues v Chiefs

Sky Sport NZ / Sky Sport 1

Images & Sound Best Cinematography: Drama / Comedy Drama

Dave Cameron NZCS ACS

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Simon Tutty

Testify

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Adam Luxton

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Contribution to a Soundtrack

Pinnacle Post Sound Team

Our Flag Means Death - Season 2

Neon & Sky Open

Tom Miskin, Alan Kidd, Mike Bayliss, Steve Finnigan

Far North

South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Bruce Langley

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

 Images & Sound Best Original Score

Karl Sölve Steven & Rob Thorne

Black Coast Vanishings

Augusto / Story Town / Kindred Films / Warner Bros. Discovery / Studiocanal

Three & ThreeNow

Moniker

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Andrew Keoghan, Reb Fountain

Escaping Utopia

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Best Post Production Design

Erin Woolhouse

The Motherhood Anthology - Give Me Babies

The Rebel Fleet / Eyes and Ears / Oriental Maidens / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Alana Cotton

Testify 

Warner Bros New Zealand / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Jemma Lee

Motherhood - Ahi and the Stars

Caravan Park Films / Stella Maris / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Best Production Design

Andy Currie

The Motherhood Anthology - Give Me Babies

Eyes and Ears / Oriental Maidens / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Neville Stevenson

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

Melissa Spicer

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Riria Lee

Kāinga

Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions Ltd / RNZ

Best Costume Design

Sarah Aldridge

Testify

Warner Bros. International Television Production New Zealand / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Briar Vivian

Miles From Nowhere

Gibson Group & Homegrown Pictures / Neon & Sky Open

Briar Vivian

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Best Makeup Design

Janene Cissi

The Boy, The Queen, And Everything In Between

Lucky Legs Media Ltd / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Maya Bailey

Far North

White Balance Pictures / South Pacific Pictures / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

Joseph Kalepo & Andrew Kalepo

Motherhood

KOHA Productions / TVNZ 2 & TVNZ+

Best Script: Comedy

Pax Assadi

Raised by Refugees Season 2

Kevin & Co / Sky Open

Simone Nathan

Kid Sister

Greenstone TV / TVNZ+

Mohamed Hassan

Miles From Nowhere

Gibson Group & Homegrown Pictures / Neon & Sky Open

Best Script: Drama

Dianne Taylor

After The Party

Lingo Pictures / Luminous Beast / TVNZ 1 & TVNZ+

Paul Cleave

Dark City - The Cleaner

Endeavour Ventures Ltd / Neon & Sky Open

Sarah-Kate Lynch

Friends Like Her

Great Southern Television Limited / Warner Bros. Discovery / Three & ThreeNow

© Scoop Media