Anya Tate-Manning won the award for her script for Waikouaiti Whalers, which was her 2016 master of arts folio at Victoria’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML).
The former Logan Park High School pupil said she was "extremely surprised" to win the award because competition for it was very strong.
"All of my classmates are so talented.
"It’s amazing to have validation at the end of doing something that you’re not sure you’re any good at."
Waikouaiti Whalers is the story of an extensive cast of characters, both Pakeha and Maori, who are all battling for a future in an unstable and insecure time.
Maori are in the majority, but that is soon to change. Real historical characters (Maori rangatira Tuhawaiki and Te Rauparaha, whaling entrepreneur Johnny Jones, missionary Frank Watkins, pirate Bully Hayes and soon-to-be-Governor William Hobson) share the story with fictional characters, who flesh out a melting-pot world of whalers, ex-convicts and workers of various nationalities and ethnicities, including Pakeha-Maori.
The television drama is described by its examiners as ‘‘exceptional — displaying an astute understanding of dramatic storytelling for the screen’’, ‘‘gripping, exciting, visceral’’ and containing ‘‘rich visual poetry’’.
The $3000 prize is awarded annually to an outstanding student in the master of arts (scriptwriting) programme at the IIML.
Ms Tate-Manning is an actress and is performing in the stage show Hudson and Halls — for which she has been nominated as best supporting actor in the upcoming Wellington Theatre Awards.
She said her decision to apply for the master of arts course was prompted by the need to broaden her skill set to writing as well as acting, and her experience this year had given her a much bigger respect for writers and scripts.
Examiners of the winning script described it as "a graphic and thoroughly enjoyable series that demonstrates a confident writer’s hand to convey distinctive, intense visual imagery" and observe "the clash of personal, political, class, religious and cultural objectives, set against the backdrop of a lawless New Zealand frontier town, provides a rich premise for drama".
A second award, the Brad McGann Film Writing Award, was awarded to Callum Fordyce for his feature film script, Heroin and Dandelions.
