We\u2019ve hand-picked 10 winners from the night, with all the details about where to stream (or rent) them. (Check out the full list of 2025 NZ Screen Awards winners and finalists here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n The Gone (TVNZ+) Following on from its five award wins at the 2023 NZ TV Awards, The Gone earned four awards this year, including best drama, best production design, best director: drama series and best original score. The moody Irish-New Zealand co-production follows two detectives \u2013 one from Ireland, one from Aotearoa \u2013 as they search for two Irish tourists who go missing from small town New Zealand. \u201cWhat elevates The Gone are the unique New Zealand stories woven throughout,\u201d we wrote earlier this year<\/a>. \u201cThis is a rural community where hurt runs generations deep, and storylines about big business acquiring M\u0101ori land and the legacy of colonialism make the show feel current and relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch The Gone on TVNZ+ here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Homesteads (M\u0101ori+)<\/p>\n Homesteads won best M\u0101ori programme for 2025, and it\u2019s a well-deserved win for a documentary series that so thoughtfully explores the meaning of home. Each episode tells a story of what home means to different generations of M\u0101ori whanau, exploring how home can be a place of history, belonging, challenge and triumph. It\u2019s an insightful and inspiring watch, with stunning photography that captures the quiet beauty of rural and urban Aotearoa landscapes. The two other TV finalists in this category were Dead Ahead (TVNZ+), Mata Reports (Aotearoa Media Collective\/RNZ\/YouTube) and M\u0101ori All Blacks: Bound by Blood (M\u0101ori+).\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch Homesteads on M\u0101ori+<\/a> (streaming worldwide) and TVNZ+<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vince (ThreeNow) Written by and starring Jono Pryor (Jono and Ben), Vince was crowned best comedy programme, beating out Madam (ThreeNow, Netflix) and Happiness (also ThreeNow, which is clearly becoming the home of New Zealand\u2019s best comedy). The sitcom follows the exploits of a charming but self-absorbed broadcaster who is sacked from his job and needs to fix his life to improve his reputation. \u201cPryor has taken what he\u2019s learned about the brutal and sometimes ridiculous world of working in television and taken it upon himself to gently and lovingly skewer the artifice, ego and superficiality involved,\u201d Anna Rawhiti-Connell wrote in her review of the series<\/a>. \u201cThere are plenty of winks and nudges at the state of the industry, its weird characters and the craven interests that sometimes drive decision-making. The call, as they say, is coming from inside the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch Vince on ThreeNow here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Convert (M\u0101ori+) The late Lee Tamahori was honoured with the best director drama feature award for The Convert, set in 1830s Aotearoa as a British preacher (played by Guy Pearce) finds himself embroiled in an inter-hap\u016b conflict during the Musket Wars. The film also won feature awards for best cinematography, best production design, best costume design and best makeup design. As The Spinoff reviewed last year, The Convert is a must-watch for fans of local history<\/a>, with its impressive acting performances, well-choreographed fight scenes and integration of te reo M\u0101ori, bringing a fascinating time period to life.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch The Convert on M\u0101ori+ here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Moving Houses (TVNZ+) New Zealand\u2019s favourite television show about trucks driving slowly won best factual series this year, proving that a simple concept done well can create compelling television. Moving Houses also reflects who we are in New Zealand in an unusual way, as we mentioned in our review of a 2024 episode<\/a>. \u201cIt has all the hallmarks of gripping TV: suspense, danger, risk and reward, as well as genuine New Zealand characters. There\u2019s a reassuring comfort in its predictability, but there\u2019s also unlimited potential for chaos. It speaks to New Zealand\u2019s adventurous, ingenious heart, and resonates with our desire to have a home of our own, even if it is in one of the remotest parts of the country.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch Moving Houses on TVNZ+ here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Motuhaketonga (M\u0101ori+) This year\u2019s winner of best documentary series and best director: documentary\/factual series was Motuhaketonga, a two-part docuseries that follows three w\u0101hine M\u0101ori as they prepare to leave prison. The series explores the challenges these women face as they aim to reintegrate into society and rebuild their relationships with their children and wh\u0101nau, and also asks the question: how does New Zealand treat its w\u0101hine M\u0101ori? \u201cProducer\/director Kathleen Mantel commits to a cognisant tone and knows how to remain there through the joy and, more importantly, the intimate struggles. She doesn\u2019t overplay the pain or vulnerability but rather lets the utter compelling nature of these women lead the way,\u201d Dana Leaming wrote in her recent review<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch Motuhaketonga on M\u0101ori+ here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes NZ (TVNZ+)<\/p>\n It\u2019s the reality TV show with a heart, which is probably why The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes took home the gong for best reality series. Led by renowned chef Ben Bayly, the gentle observational series follows volunteers with dementia as they take over the running of a successful restaurant, in the hope of proving that people with dementia can still make a valuable contribution to society. \u201cThe Restaurant That Makes Mistakes wants to help people with dementia, but it\u2019s also helping viewers by quietly challenging our assumptions of what living with dementia means,\u201d we wrote in our review of the show\u2019s first season in 2023. \u201cIt wants us to consider how we create a more inclusive, flexible society that allows everyone in our community to thrive, which is something reality television rarely does.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes on TVNZ+ here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rule of Jenny Pen (rent on various streaming services) Stephen King called it \u201cone of the best movies I\u2019ve seen all year<\/a>\u201d, The Spinoff\u2019s Alex Casey described it as \u201cthe most brutal and bold local film in years,<\/a>\u201d and it seems The NZ Screen Award judges agreed. This dark and terrifying psychological thriller \u2013 set in a New Zealand rest home and based on a short story by Owen Marshall \u2013 scooped up an impressive four feature film awards, including best actor for John Lithgow (who received the award from afar<\/a>), best supporting actor for George Henare, best contribution to a soundtrack and best script for Eli Kent and James Ashcroft<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rule of Jenny Pen is available to rent on AroVision<\/a> and most streaming services.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taskmaster NZ (TVNZ+) After six chaotic seasons on New Zealand screens, Taskmaster NZ has earned its place as one of our best entertainment shows. Season five<\/a> won the award for best entertainment programme, nudging out season two of Guy Montgomery\u2019s Guy Mont Spelling Bee (ThreeNow) and Whakanuia (M\u0101ori+). This was the season with comedian Ben Hurley\u2019s spectacular Olympic-level feat of athleticism<\/a>, as he joined four other New Zealand comedians put themselves through a series of pointless and perplexing tasks in the hope of impressing the Taskmaster Jeremy Wells. Great news: TVNZ+ has all six seasons and 60 whopping episodes waiting for you to dive into.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch Taskmaster NZ on TVNZ+ now.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Bryn and Ku\u2019s Singles Club (The Spinoff, YouTube) Kura Forrester won two awards on Friday night \u2013 the first for best supporting actress for her work in comedy series Double Parked, and the second with her pal Brynley Stent as best presenter: entertainment for short docuseries Bryn and Ku\u2019s Singles Club. Made by your old mates at The Spinoff, Bryn and Ku\u2019s Singles Club sees the two comedians embark on a cross-country quest to find love, as they venture beyond their comfort zones to tackle the dating scene. \u201cThis may be a quest for romantic love, but it\u2019s also a celebration of female friendship,\u201d we wrote earlier this year.<\/a> \u201cWatching this is like hanging out with your best mates as they constantly try to make each other laugh the hardest. The support and solidarity they show each other is beautiful, and their journey is filled with warmth and sincerity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch Bryn and Ku\u2019s Single\u2019s Club on The Spinoff<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: TVNZ<\/p>\n
\nAnna Jullienne as Lou and Jono Pryor as Vince in Vince<\/p>\n
\nTioreore Ngatai-Melbourne on-set. (Photo: Supplied\/Kirsty Griffin)<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: Screengrab<\/p>\n
\nA still from Motuhaketonga (Photo: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\nThe Rule of Jenny Pen (Photo: Supplied)<\/p>\n
\nThe award-winning season five of Taskmaster NZ. Photo: TVNZ<\/p>\n
\nBrynley Stent and Kura Forrester in Bryn & Ku\u2019s Singles Club (Photo: Todd Karehana)<\/p>\n