Teina Pora telefeature, In Dark Places, leading finalist for New Zealand Television Awards

Craig Hall (left) plays ex-cop Tim McKinnel, and Richard Te Are plays Teina Pora in In Dark Places. Photo / Supplied.

In Dark Places, TVNZ's dramatic retelling of Teina Pora's story, is the leading finalist announced for the 2019 New Zealand Television Awards.

Produced by South Pacific Pictures and 10000 Company for TVNZ 1, In Dark Places has received a whopping 11 nominations ahead of the awards gala ceremony at Auckland's Aotea Centre on November 21.

Finalists were announced today with 115 nominations from a record number of more than 500 entries across 37 judged categories.

The telefeature is up for Images & Sound Best Feature Drama, Best Director: Drama, Best Actress, Best Actor and dominates the Craft Award categories with nominations for Best Cinematography: Drama, Best Contribution to a Soundtrack, Images & Sound Best Original Score, Best Post Production Design, Screen Auckland Best Art Direction or Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Script: Drama.

The TVNZ 2 comedy series Fresh Eggs has received seven nominations including Best Comedy or Comedy Entertainment Programme, Best Director: Drama and Best Actress, while the series receives Craft Awards nominations for Best Editing: Drama, Best Cinematography: Drama, Screen Auckland Best Art Direction or Production Design and Best Makeup Design.

Drama series The Bad Seed, which aired on TVNZ 1 earlier this year, received five nominations, including Best Drama Series and has nods in four Craft Awards categories including: Best Cinematography: Drama, Best Contribution to a Soundtrack, Screen Auckland Best Art Direction or Production Design and Best Script: Drama.

Three's 2019 season of Dancing with the Stars NZ is up for four awards, including Best Format Reality Series, Best Live Event Coverage, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup Design.

Also nominated for four awards apiece are Plus6Four's whodunit webseries Alibi, which screened on TVNZ On Demand, Gaylene Preston's feature documentary My Year with Helen which was adapted for television and screened on Three, as well as New Zealand Documentary Board's TVNZ 2 mockumentary series Wellington Paranormal.

As announced last week, local screen icon Shortland Street will be named as the 2019 TV Legend. It is the first time a standalone television show has been honoured with this award.