Announcing The New Zealand Screen Awards: A Celebration Of The Best TV & Film In Aotearoa

Auckland, New Zealand

The New Zealand Television Awards are undergoing a major evolution this year, expanding to become the New Zealand Screen Awards (NZSA), now celebrating excellence across all screen content, including both television and film.

The exciting transformation will acknowledge content exhibited theatrically, in addition to programmes made for broadcast, streaming and digital platforms, creating a more comprehensive celebration of New Zealand's vibrant screen industry.

This significant expansion reflects the ever-changing nature of the entertainment landscape and the growing crossover between television, film, and digital platforms. The New Zealand Screen Awards will continue to honour outstanding achievements across scripted, factual, documentary, news & current affairs content in production, direction, acting, writing, and technical fields, but now with a clear emphasis on both small and big-screen content.

“We’ve seen an incredible growth in the diversity of content being created in New Zealand, with many exceptional productions blurring the lines between television, digital and feature,” said New Zealand Screen Awards Committee Member Kelly Martin. “Rebranding to the New Zealand Screen Awards is a natural progression as we aim to celebrate the full scope of our local screen industry.”

NZ On Air, NZ Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho are excited by the expansion of the awards to include film. The agencies’ CE’s - Annie Murray, Cameron Harland and Larry Parr - jointly said: “This is absolutely the right thing to do, acknowledging that those who work on the excellent films created in Aotearoa deserve recognition and that many people involved in creating screen content work across film and television. We look forward to celebrating the best in Aotearoa screen content and supporting what will be an uplifting event for our sector.”

The New Zealand Screen Awards this year also welcomes a new Committee member as long-serving member Producer Bailey Mackey steps down, along with filmmaker Roseanne Liang. Joining the NZSA Committee is actor, writer, director and 2024 Arts Laureate Miriama McDowell. Continuing committee members include South Pacific Pictures Chief Executive Kelly Martin, veteran film and television publicist Tamar Münch and news, current affairs and documentary Producer Adrian Stevanon, with further committee members to be announced.

Justine McKay and Andy Dowding from janda Productions add: "We’re delighted to have found a way to include all screen content into these Awards. As consumers become increasingly platform agnostic it's the perfect time to create space for the film industry to be a part of these awards. And after such a long hiatus the film sector can finally have their skills and achievements recognised again. We look forward to seeing all the entries!"

The New Zealand Screen Awards would not be possible without the generous support of its event partners: NZ On Air, Images and Sound, the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), and Te Māngai Pāho. Their commitment plays a vital role in recognising excellence across the screen industry of Aotearoa.

Additionally, the NZSA team gratefully acknowledges the significant contributions of the event's Supporting Partners: Warner Bros. Discovery, TVNZ, Whakaata Māori, Screen Auckland and Sky, and are delighted to welcome RNZ as a new Supporting Partner in 2025.

A special acknowledgement is also extended to NZ On Screen for their steadfast dedication to honouring and preserving the rich heritage of screen storytelling in Aotearoa.

The inaugural New Zealand Screen Awards will take place in Auckland, New Zealand later this year, with the expanded categories set to reflect the very best in New Zealand’s screen talent and creativity.

Entries for the 2025 New Zealand Screen Awards will open on Monday 30 June.

For more information, visit: www.nzscreenawards.co.nz

About the New Zealand Screen Awards

The New Zealand Screen Awards recognise excellence in film and television and honour the special skills and unique talents of the companies and individuals who create, produce, and perform in films and television programmes in New Zealand. The New Zealand Screen Awards are open to theatrical films as well as linear broadcast and free & subscription digital platforms. The New Zealand Screen Awards are owned and produced by janda.

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