TVNZ’s excellence in news and current affairs reporting has been recognised at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards.
Three reporters – Indira Stewart, Te Aniwa Hurihanganui and Zoe Madden-Smith – collected prizes at the awards ceremony held in Auckland on Friday night.
Stewart, a member of TVNZ’s In-Depth team, won two awards and was a finalist in two other categories.
Children of Prisoners won the Best Current Affairs (Short) category for an investigation into the lives of children serving their own invisible sentence when a parent is sent to prison.
The awards judges praised the project as “brave, unsettling and yet ultimately hopeful: this is current affairs at its best”.
“Children of prisoners, previously unseen, unheard and presumed unlikely to succeed, step forward to shatter stereotypes and take agency over their lives.
“The young girls are the stars, but it is reporter Indira Stewart’s connection with them and her masterful storytelling that make this the standout winner in an impressive field of contenders,” the judges said.
“Indira humbly takes a back seat placing the focus squarely on the children, as she walks us back over their invisible lives, giving them a platform to make change.”
Children of Prisoners’ production team included Rewi Heke, Will Green and Charlotte Mckenzie.
The judges said the entry was “shot and crafted with polish, the story reflects the talents and investment of the whole team”.
Stewart also won the Le Mana Pacific Award, for coverage of issues affecting Pasifika communities across the region and in New Zealand, for the second consecutive year.
Her winning entry featured Children of Prisoners; Believers & Betrayers: Inside the Shincheonji ‘Cult’ and Israel and the Pacific: A Surprisingly Close Friendship.
The judges said Stewart’s stories were “shocking, important and beautifully handled and presented as she probed a cult snaring Pacific Islanders and the challenges for children of the incarcerated”.
Gang Mums, featuring a series of interviews with four women affiliated with gangs, was also runner up in the Best Current Affairs (long) or Documentary category. The production team included Stewart, Rewi Heke, Will Green, Tory Evans, Jorja Parsons and Tom Hood.
Believers & Betrayers: Inside the Shincheonji ‘Cult’ was also a finalist in this category and was produced by Stewart, Will Green and Charlotte Mckenzie.
TVNZ was also honoured for its news coverage at last night’s awards ceremony.
1News Māori Affairs Correspondent Te Aniwa Hurihanganui won the prestigious Te Tohu Kairangi Award for the best Māori affairs reporting.
Her portfolio including coverage of the death of Kiingi Tuuheitia; government officials’ concerns about the Treaty Principles Bill and how a looming law change could effectively extinguish Māori customary rights to the foreshore and seabed.
The judges said Hurihanganui’s journalism was a “standout amongst a wealth of Māori journalism excellence in this category”.
“In what was an absolutely historic year for Māori, she demonstrated the power of securing exclusive stories amid the relentless pace of daily news, ensuring these critical conversations took centre stage.
“While also exhibiting her skills of live rolling coverage for one of the most memorable events in our recent history, the death of Kiingi Tuuheitia – Te Aniwa has always ensured the narratives of our people are at the forefront and being covered in the country’s most viewed news bulletin, in a time when accuracy and fairness and representation is so important.”
1News was also a finalist in the Best Coverage of a Major News Event category for the Māori King’s tangi.
Watch one of Te Aniwa Hurihanganui’s reports:
Thousands came to mourn Kīngi Tuheitia as he was taken to his final resting place on Taupiri Maunga. (Source: 1News)
Re: News multimedia journalist Zoe Madden-Smith was named Video Journalist of the Year.
Her portfolio featured reports on Eczema: Why do we know so little about topical steroid withdrawal?; A day in my life with ADHD and Living with Postnatal Depression.
The judges said Madden-Smith’s entry presented a “compelling collection of deeply personal stories”.
“Zoe’s strong connections with her subjects shine through. She not only built trust but also took full creative control – shooting, editing, and writing each piece herself.”
TVNZ Interim Chief News and Content Officer Brent McAnulty said it was great to see the newsroom’s exceptional journalism acknowledged and celebrated in what was a big news year.
“TVNZ’s focused on delivering high-quality and trusted broadcast news, but we’ve been building and investing in digital video story-telling,” he said.
“This was reflected in the wins for our newsroom last night. Indira, Zoe and Te Aniwa have all delivered impactful reporting valued by communities and a lot of it digitally-led. It was fantastic to see the trio individually recognised, alongside production team members Rewi, William and Charlotte for their work on Children of Prisoners.”
TVNZ category winners
Best Current Affairs (short): Indira Stewart with Rewi Heke, William Green and Charlotte Mckenzie
Video Journalist of the Year: Zoe Madden-Smith, Re: News
Le Mana Pacific Award: Indira Stewart
Te Tohu Kairangi Award: Te Aniwa Hurihanganui
Finalists
Best Short-form Video: Jared McCulloch
Best Current Affairs (long) or Documentary:
Gang Mums: Indira Stewart, Rewi Heke, Jorja Parsons, Tom Hood
Believers & Betrayers: Inside the Shincheonji ‘Cult’ – Indira Stewart, Will Green, Charlotte Mckenzie
Video Journalist of the Year: Henry McMullan
Best Investigation: Thomas Mead, Paul Deady, Laura James
Best Specialist Reporting: Barbara Dreaver
Best Coverage of a Major News Event: Kīngitanga Tangi, 1News
News Journalist of the Year: Barbara Dreaver
