KEY POINTS:
It was gold medals all the way for TV One and for TV3's Outrageous Fortune at the inaugural Qantas Film and Television Awards.
Television news presenters, Kiwi film stars and our acting elite mingled on the red carpet outside Auckland's Civic Theatre last night at the first merger
of the New Zealand Television Awards and Screen Awards.
It was a night of big wins for TVNZ's news and current affairs team, which took out eight of the 11 news and current affairs awards - including the best news award for the second year running.
"I'm over the moon," said TV One's head of news, Anthony Flannery.
"It's been a reward for a lot of hard work from everyone around the place."
Mark Sainsbury, who hosts weekday current affairs show Close Up, bagged the title of best news or current affairs presenter over rival John Campbell.
The channel also wrestled back from TV3 the awards for TV journalist of the year and best current affairs series.
TV One's Mike Valintine and Hunter Wells took out the journalist of the year award for their work on Sunday.
Valintine and Wells were also acclaimed for the best investigation of the year for their work on the murder confession by Noel Rogers.
Sunday also won the best current affairs series award over 60 Minutes and Close Up.
One News reporter Lisa Owen, who was nominated twice in the best news reporting section, won the award over 3 News' Duncan Garner and Jon Stephenson.
Flannery said Owen, who recently criticised her bosses for their lack of communication in the Tony Veitch saga in a One News report, was "an outstanding journalist."
TV3 took home three awards, including one for 60 Minutes.
Meanwhile, Kiwi favourite Outrageous Fortune scooped eight awards, including the four top acting honours for cast members Robyn Malcolm, Antony Starr, Tammy Davis and Antonia Prebble. It was Malcolm's third win for her portrayal of family matriarch Cheryl West.
The South Pacific Pictures show also won the gong for best drama programme for the fourth year running, this time beating popular soap Shortland Street and Ride With the Devil.
On the silver screen, Aramoana tragedy film Out of the Blue won best picture and Oscar-nominee Taika Waititi won best director for his indie hit Eagle Vs Shark.
