Awards

2024

New Zealand Television Awards 2024

RNZ had a record number of finalists this year at The New Zealand Television Awards which recognizes excellence in a variety of categories across television in Aotearoa. Were announced on Friday 22 November. 

Winners

Best Sports Programme
Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey
Kereama Wright, Mahanga Pihama, Riria Morgan, Arthur Rasmussen, Peter Lee, Matua Houltham
Mairanga Media / RNZ

​Te Māngai Pāho Best Māori Programme
NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana
Mihingarangi Forbes, Annabelle Lee-Mather
Aotearoa Media Collective / RNZ / TVNZ+

Finalists
2024 Television Personality of the Year - Bubbah Olo
New Zealand On Air Best Documentary - Ruamata: It's More Than Hockey
New Zealand On Air Best Pasifika Programme - Untold Pacific History 2
Screen Auckland Best Director: Drama / Comedy Drama The 8 Pan-Asian Women Directors of Kāinga
Best Presenter: News And Current Affairs - Guyon Espiner
Best Editing: Documentary or Factual - Chris Anderton, NZ Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana
Best Production Design - Riria Lee, Kainga

Spada Awards

Jason Taylor (Ngati Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāto Tama, Te Āti-Awa) was awarded the Spada Emerging Producer Award - Principal Sponsor Hinterland - at the Spada Awards on 10 October. He produced this year's documentary series Hi-Viz for RNZ's rangatahi platform TAHI, and has previous produced Barber Shop Sessions for TAHI. 

TUANZ Awards

Congratulations to RNZ Business Journalist Nona Pellitier, named Technology Journalist of the Year at the TUANZ (Technology Users Association) Awards on 12 September.

NZ Radio & Podcast Awards

On 6 June the NZ Radio & Podcast Awards announced the winners for 2024. Congratulations to all the RNZ shows and people who won awards or were finalists.

Best News & Current Affairs Podcast – The Detail
Best Reo Māori Podcast – Whakāmāori S2
Best Children’s Programme - In Case You Missed It
Best Daily or Weekly Feature – Factual – Country Life
Best Documentary or Factual Talk Feature – Conviction: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case
Best Talk Presenter – Non Breakfast or Drive – Kim Hill (joint winner with Marcus Lush)

Former RNZ Head of Radio David Allan, who recently retired after 50 years in radio, was presented a Services to Broadcasting award.

Congratulations to Checkpoint’s Jimmy Ellingham who was previously announced Best New Broadcaster – Journalist

Voyager Media Awards

Winners

From a number of finalists in this year's Voyager Media Awards, RNZ took away these awards announced on 24 May:

Best Innovation in Digital Storytelling
Guyon Espiner, Farah Hancock, John Hartevelt, Cole Eastham-Farrelly and Hingyi Khong | RNZ – The Interview

Best Up and Coming Journalist
Ella Stewart | RNZ

Business Journalist of the Year – Sponsored by Spark NZ
Eloise Gibson | Stuff and RNZ

Congratulations also to MATA and NZ Wars presenter Mihingarangi Forbes who was named joint winner of Te Tohu Kairangi Award alongside Moana Maniapoto.

New York Festivals Radio Awards
Four RNZ Podcasts were acknowledged at a ceremony in New York on 16 April:

Podcast - Investigative Journalism Podcast
Conviction: The Christchurch Civic Creche Case - Gold

Podcast - Narrative/Documentary Podcast
Mr Lyttle Meets Mr Big - Silver
Deer Wars - Bronze

Best Documentary - History
Black Sheep - Finalist

2023

NZ TV Awards 2023

The NZ TV Awards recognizes excellence in a variety of categories across television in Aotearoa. NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau was awarded Best Māori Programme in a ceremony on 5 December.

Best Māori Programme
NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau, Aotearoa Media Collective & Great Southern Television for RNZ.

NZ Podcast Awards

The NZ Podcast Awards were announced on 30 November, with 20 awards for RNZ Podcasts.

Best Arts & Culture
​Bronze - Voices

Best Comedy Podcast
Gold - Did Titanic Sink

Best Education Podcast
Gold - ICYMI

Best Factual Podcast
Gold – Black Sheep
Silver – Our Changing World
Bronze - Voices

Best Fiction Podcast
Silver - The Reading

Best History Podcast
Gold - Black Sheep
Bronze - The Aotearoa History Show

Māori or Pasifika Podcast or Host
Gold - So'omalo Iteni Schwalger (The TAHI)
Silver - Justine Murray (Nau Mai Town)

Best Network or Publisher
Gold - RNZ

Best New Podcast
Bronze - The TAHI

Podcast of the Year
Gold - Black Sheep
Bronze - Did Titanic Sink

Climate Award
Gold - Our Changing World

Rising Star
Bronze - Evie Orpe

Creativity Award
Bronze - Voices

Spotlight Award
Gold - The Detail

Webfest Awards

Congratulations to the Tinderbox Productions, the makers of self-funded dramedy series Blind Bitter Happiness for winning Best Writing and Best Narrative webseries at the Webfest Awards on 12 November. The series has also been awarded direct selection into the Japan Web Fest Awards.

NZGAJC Agricultural Photography and Journalism Awards

Two RNZ journalists were acknowledged at the NZGAJC (New Zealand Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators) Agricultural Photography and Journalism Awards on Friday 10 November.

The Pāmu Agricultural Journalism Encouragement Award, established to recognise the work of journalists who are new to specialising in agricultural journalism, went to Sally Murphy from RNZ’s Rurals team for her coverage of Fieldays for Midday Report, Cyclone Gabrielle for Morning Report, and the eradication efforts of m-bovis for Nine to Noon.

TUANZ Rural Communities Award was won by Sally Round for Voices from Tai Rāwhiti, an episode for Country Life that captured how rural people were faring three months after Cyclone Gabrielle ravaged the region.

imagineNATIVE Awards 2023

imagineNATIVE Awards celebrate the indigenous achievement in film and media arts. RNZ The River recently took out the prestigious Experimental Audio Award at imagineNATIVE 2023.

Through a cinematic, immersive listening experience, it is the first scripted narrative Māori podcast that utilizes the latest 360 reality audio technology.

Experimental Audio Award

The River, Todd Karehana, Piata Gardiner-Hoskins (Secondary platform)

2023 PANZ Book Design Awards 

Judges said the book's design acknowledged that radio listeners have the smarts to complete the pictures themselves, while Keel's line work illustrations add "visual seasoning".

Find out more about the RNZ Cookbook here.

Voyager Media Awards

RNZ had 14 finalists in this year's Voyager Media Awards, with the winners announced on 27 May, with RNZ taking away the following awards:

Best original podcast – ongoing/episodic - (Joint winnner with Between Two Beers)
Sharon Brettkelly, Emile Donovan, Sarah Robson, Bonnie Harrison, Mark Jennings | newsroom.co.nz and RNZ – The Detail

Le Mana Pacific Award
Lydia Lewis

Best reporting – environment 
Farah Hancock

Feature Writer of the Year (short-form) 
Guyon Espiner

New York Festivals Radio Awards

RNZ Concert's recording of Ka Pō Ka Ao by Rob Ruha and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra received a gold award for best live sound in the craft section. The concert was produced to celebrate Aotearoa's first Matariki programme and you can listen to it here.

The Elephant in the Bedroom was a finalist for best Personal Lives Podcast. The podcast was created by Notable Pictures for TAHI.

NZ Aviators look back to their experience of the Second World War received a bronze award in the history documentary category. It was produced and presented by Jude Dobson of Homegrown TV. 

 

NZ Radio Awards

RNZ had 27 finalists in the 2023 NZ Radio Awards, with seven winners announced on 1 June.

Best New Broadcaster - Journalist
Jimmy Ellingham (joint winner with Newstalk ZB's Jason Walls)

Best Daily or Weekly Feature - Factual
Country Life 

Best Documentary or Factual Talk Feature
The Elephant in the Bedroom

Best Music Feature
Ka Pō, Ka Ao – Rob Ruha with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra

Best Factual Podcast - Episodic
The Detail
Our Changing World

Best Factual Podcast - Seasonal
The Aotearoa History Show

2022

The RNZ Cookbook was released on 10 November 2022 by Massey University Press. At the 2022 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, the cookbook was awarded Best Fund Raising Cook Book for New Zealand and a special award. You can read more about the RNZ Cookbook here.

NZ Podcast Awards

23 RNZ podcasts were nominated in the 2022 NZ Podcast Awards, with the winners announced on 12 December - including a gold award for Best Network. Finalists below, with winners in bold.

Best Arts & Culture – Voices - BRONZE
Best Current Affairs – The Detail
Best Documentary – Hair & Loathing, Let’s Be TRANSparent, The Elephant in the Bedroom - GOLD
Best Education: Whakamāori - GOLD
Best Factual – Our Changing World - SILVER
Best Family – Best of Storytime, News2Me - SILVER
Best Fiction: Devil’s Trumpet - BRONZE
Best Health & Wellbeing: Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower - SILVER, Let’s Be TRANsparent 
Best History – Eyewitness - GOLD
Best Māori or Pasifika – The Elephant in the Bedroom, Whakamāori - GOLD
Best Radio podcast – Nine to Noon
Best Sex & Relationships: The Elephant in the Bedroom - GOLD
Best True Crime: Crimes NZ
Spotlight: Crimes NZ
Climate Award: Our Changing World - SILVER
Rising Star: Kadambari Gladding, Joe Stockhausen - GOLD
Best Network: RNZ - GOLD

The winners will be announced on 13 December.

Voyager Media Awards

The 2022 edition of the Voyager Media Awards was held in Auckland on Saturday 20 August in Auckland. 

Winners

Best feature writing – social issues, including health and education
Anusha Bradley | RNZ – Women struggle for treatment as ACC changes policy on perineal tears

Best Junior Reporter
Samantha OIley | RNZ

Runners Up

Best Data Journalist: Farah Hancock, Vinay Ranchhod, Cole Eastham-Farrelly for Who's eating New Zealand?, Legal aid debt, Covid in daily numbers 

Best Reviewer: Anna Rankin for her work for RNZ and Metro Magazine 

Best Podcast – Narrative or Serial: Tim Watkin, Liz Garton, Joseph Stockhausen, Pauline Stockhausen, Hamish Coleman-Ross, Ian Havill, Flo Wilson for Let’s Be TRANSparent 

Feature Writer of the Year – Guyon Espiner 

News App of the Year – RNZ App 

NZ Radio Awards

The NZ Radio Awards winners were announced on Thursday 21 July in Auckland. RNZ's winners were:

Best Daily or Weekly Feature - Factual
Carol Stiles, Sally Round, Cosmo Kentish-Barnes, Duncan Smith - Country Life

Best New Broadcaster - Journalist
Louise Ternouth

Best News or Sports Journalist
Anusha Bradley

Best Documentary or Factual Talk Feature
Katy Gosset, Justin Gregory, Tim Watkin, Alex Harmer, Rangi Powick, Kadambari Raghukumar, Sandra Close, Julie Hutton - Fragments

Taite Prize

The outstanding careers of two RNZ staff were recognised at the Taite Prize on 30 May, with Lately host Karyn Hay ONZM presented the Independent Spirit Award for her contribution to the New Zealand music industry throughout her illustrious broadcasting career, and Tony Stamp the first recipient of the new award NZ On Air Outstanding Music Journalism. Watch interviews with Karyn and Tony.

NY Festival Radio Awards 2022

Eight RNZ entries were shortlisted for the 2022 edition of the prestigious NY Festival Radio Awards, with three medals awarded to RNZ at The Storytellers Gala virtual ceremony that took place on 27 April.

RNZ shortlisted entries:

News: Reports/Features

Best Investigative Reporting - Anusha Bradley

On-Air Talent

Best Talk Show Host - Jim Mora

Documentary

History - Fragments
National or International Affairs - Red Line

Podcasts

Narrative/Documentary Podcast - Black Sheep -Bronze
Personal Lives Podcast - Let's Be Transparent - Bronze
Narrative/Documentary Podcast - Red Line

Best Live Sound

Craft - Ngā Hihi o Matariki - Silver

New Zealand Television Awards 

The New Zealand Television Awards recognises excellence in television, and honours the special skills and unique talents of the companies and individuals who create, produce, and perform in television programmes in New Zealand. The 2021 Awards were held on 1 March 2022.

NZ On Air Best Pasifika Programme - Tikilounge Productions for Untold Pacific History - Winner

Best Factual - Fisheye Films for Fight for the Wild - Winner

Images & Sound Best Original Score 2021  - Tom McLeod, Fight for the Wild - produced by Fisheye Films for RNZ - Winner

Best Camerawork - Documentary/Factual - Fight for the Wild - Peter Young (Fisheye Productions) - Finalist

Te Māngai Paho Best Māori Programme - Great Southern Television’s RNZ documentary NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui - Finalist

2020 WINNER 

Te Māngai Paho Best Māori Programme - NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara by Mihingarangi Forbes, Annabelle Lee-Mather, Mahanga Pihama, Philip Smith, Deb Cope and Great Southern Television for RNZ

2021

Voyager Media Awards 2021 

The annual Voyager Media Awards are presented by the News Publishers Association and celebrate the very best in print, digital and broadcast journalism on all media platforms across New Zealand. 

RNZ received the following seven awards at a ceremony on 28 May: 
 

Reporting and Feature Writing 

Best Team Investigation - RNZ In Depth: Guyon Espiner & Kate Newton  
Best First-Person Essay or Feature - Veronica Schmidt 
Best Junior Reporter - Te Aniwa Hurihanganui  
Student Journalist of the Year - Louise Ternouth 

Digital  

Best Narrative Podcast - Emma Espiner and Bird of Paradise Productions for Getting Better 
Best Episodic Podcast - William Ray for Black Sheep 
Best Innovation in Digital Storytelling - RNZ and Vanishing Point Studio for Game Change 
 

Runners-up 

Feature Writer of the Year - Guyon Espiner 
Best Reporting (Social Issues) - Lisa Owen and Checkpoint 
Junior Reporter of the Year - Charlotte Cook 

See all the winners and finalists. 

New Zealand Radio Awards 2021 

The New Zealand Radio Awards began in 1978 and were created with the aim of supporting and recognising excellence in radio broadcasting in New Zealand. 

The Awards celebrate the very best of New Zealand radio, honouring personalities, programming, news and sports reporting, production and creativity within the industry. RNZ won these 10 awards on 10 June: 

Best Talk Presenter, Breakfast or Drive - Lisa Owen, Checkpoint 

Best Show Production Team, Talk Show - Annabel Reid, Bridget Burke, Lydia Batham for Checkpoint  

Best News Story – Team Coverage - Pip Keane, Bridget Burke, Lisa Owen, Calvin Samuel, Annabel Reid, Lydia Batham, Nita Blake-Persen, Nick Truebridge, Logan Church, Louise Ternouth, Susana Lei’ataua, Checkpoint for COVID Lockdown Special 

Best Newsreader – Nicola Wright 

Best Documentary or Factual Talk Feature - John Daniell, Guyon Espiner, William Ray, Tim Watkin, Veronica Schmidt, Adrian Hollay for The Service by RNZ and Bird of Paradise Productions 

Best Daily or Weekly Feature – Factual - William Ray, Tim Watkin, William Saunders for Black Sheep 

Best Children’s Programme - Michelle Dickinson, Sophie Fern, Rangi Powick, Liz Garton, Kate Sparks, Jocelyn Bunch, Tim Watkin for Nanogirl’s Great Science Adventures by RNZ and Nanogirl Labs Ltd 

Best Video – Chris Graham, Nigel McCulloch, Alice Murray, Tim Burnell, Kay Ellmers for NZ Hip Hip Standup by RNZ / Down Low Concept 

Best News / Current Affairs Podcast - John Daniell, Guyon Espiner, William Ray, Tim Watkin, Veronica Schmidt, Adrian Hollay for The Service by RNZ and Bird of Paradise Productions 

Best Entertainment Podcast - William Ray, Tim Watkin, William Saunders for Black Sheep 
 

View all the Radio Award winners. 

NY Festival Radio Awards 2021 

New York Festivals Radio Awards honors radio content in all lengths and formats and across all platforms from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe. 

The 2021 awards were presented on 12 October in New York (13 October NZT) with three RNZ podcasts taking away awards:

The Unthinkable – Gold
Personal Lives Podcast 
What do you do when The Unthinkable happens? Presented by Morning Report’s Susie Ferguson and produced by Susie Ferguson and Liz Garton, The Unthinkable tells the story of one family’s experience with loss and heartbreak at the death of a child. 

Voices from Antarctica – Silver
Environment & Ecology Documentary 
From penguins and seals to upside-down underwater gardens, acclaimed broadcaster Alison Ballance’s Voices from Antarctica took us along for the ride to the southernmost part of the world.  

Black Sheep – Bronze
History Documentary 
Black Sheep deals with the shady, controversial and sometimes downright villainous characters of
New Zealand history, produced and presented by William Ray. 

All RNZ Finalists:

On-Air Talent 

Best Talk Show Host – Jim Mora 
Best Talk Show Host – Kathryn Ryan 
Best Radio Personality: Network/Syndicated – Kim Hill 
 

News Programmes 

Best Coverage Of Ongoing News Story - Christchurch Mosque shooter sentencing 
 

News Reports/Features 

Best Investigative Reporting – Guyon Espiner 
 

Documentary 

History – Black Sheep 
Environment & Ecology - Voices from Antarctica 
 

Craft 

Best Live Sound - Toku Reo Waiata 
 

Podcasts  

Narrative/Documentary Podcast – The Service 
Personal Lives Podcast – The Unthinkable 
 

Browse the finalists. 

New Zealand Podcast Awards

RNZ won 10 awards at the inaugural Podcast Awards on 11 November, including the major award Best Publisher.

Gold
Best Publisher
Black Sheep - Best Culture & Arts
Black Sheep - Best True Crime
Our Changing World – Best Science & Environment
Mediawatch – Best Current Affairs

Silver
Saturday Morning – Best Current Affairs

Bronze
Fight for the Wild – Best Science & Environment
Nine to Noon – Best News & Politics
Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan – Best Radio Podcast
Crimes NZ – Best True Crime

The AIBs 2021 

The AIBs are an initiative of the Association for International Broadcasting, the not-for-profit non-governmental organisation run out of the United Kingdom. This is a huge international competition, and RNZ received three awards and a highly commended, alongside entries from Al Jazeera, the BBC, Channel 4 and other broadcasters. A live-streamed awards ceremony was held in two parts at 3pm UK time on 12 & 15 November. 
 

TV/Video 

Natural World - Fight for the Wild - Fisheye Films for RNZ - winner
Domestic Affairs Documentary - NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui - Great Southern Television for RNZ - highly commended
 

Radio/Audio 

News Reporting - Checkpoint: COVID Lockdown Special - winner
 

Special Awards 

Young Journalist - Te Aniwa Hurihanganui 
 

Read the full shortlist.  

NZ Webfest Awards

Best Show (NZ Factual) - Untold Pacific History (made by Tikilounge Productions for RNZ)

New Zealand Television Awards 

2020 Winner 

Te Māngai Paho Best Māori Programme - NZ Wars: Stories of Waitara by Mihingarangi Forbes, Annabelle Lee-Mather, Mahanga Pihama, Philip Smith, Deb Cope and Great Southern Television for RNZ.