NZIFF: Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand's Best 2025 Highlights

In 2025, Ngā Whanaunga: Aotearoa New Zealand’s Best, the best of Māori and Pasifika filmmaking now alongside the best films made by everyone in Aotearoa. Wairoa Māori Film Festival founder Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) and Pollywood Film Festival founder Craig Fasi (Niue) continue their role in short film programming, focusing their lens upon Aotearoa New Zealand’s Best 2025 Indigenous talent in their role as co-curators.

Since 2012, the Wairoa Māori Film Festival and Pollywood have been part of NZIFF, curating the annual Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika short film programme. The name “Ngā Whanaunga" was gifted by Huia Kaporangi Koziol, who described it as meaning relatedness and connectedness between peoples. Māori are part of the great Pasifika whānau; our Polynesian peoples journeyed on the same waka from Hawaiiki, and are related by culture, language and blood and in wairuatanga (soulfulness) across our vast sea Moana-nui-a-kiwa. From the beginning, screening Māori works alongside Pasifika was symbolic of the whānaungatanga and connectedness of our peoples.
In 2025, we now evolve into Ngā Whanaunga Aotearoa – New Zealand's Best, with the best of Māori and Pasifika filmmaking now alongside the best films made by everyone in Aotearoa. Wairoa Māori Film Festival founder Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) and Pollywood Film Festival founder Craig Fasi (Niue) continue their role in short film programming, focusing their lens upon Indigenous talent in their role as co-curators. Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin, Programme Manager Michael McDonnell and programmers Carmen Gray and Huia Haupapa (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Mutunga) round out the selection committee.

A total of 88 films were submitted for this year’s competition, with 13 finalists chosen by the selectors. A jury of three will select the winner of the $7500 NZIFF Patrons Best Short Film Award, the $4000 Spirit of the Civic Award and the $1000 Letterboxd Award for Māori Pasifika Talent. The jury awards will be presented following the Auckland screening.
The winner of the audience vote takes away the coveted Audience Award, consisting of 25% of the box office from NZIFF screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

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