Kitchin won not just Senior Reporter of the Year Award, but also was awarded the Qantas Fellow to Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he will study investigative journalism for 10 weeks.
Along with Pankhurst, he was awarded the Print Industry Award for Outstanding Achievement.
The award was given in acknowledgement of the skill, determination and courage of Kitchin and Pankhurst in the Dominion Post's investigation and publication of the Louise Nicholas case involving allegations of police pack rape.
Judges agreed the Nicholas investigation was one of the most important pieces of journalism in the past decade.
The Newspaper of the Year went to the Herald on Sunday, whiles its sister newspaper the New Zealand Herald won the award for Daily Newspaper over 25,000 circulation. Winnner in the Daily Newspaper up to 25,000 circulation was the Manawatu Standard.
NZPA photographer Wayne Drought took the award for best breaking news picture.
His photo showed two women being knocked down outside Manukau District Court last December by a car transporting a woman accused of murdering a 10-month-old baby in South Auckland.
Other major winners from tonight's ceremony:
Qantas Fellow to Wolfson College, Cambridge -- Phil Kitchin, The Dominion Post;
* Print Industry Award for Outstanding Achievement -- Tim Pankhurst and Phil Kitchin, The Dominion Post;
* Senior reporter overall winner -- Phil Kitchin, The Dominion Post;
* Junior reporter overall winner -- Ian Steward, The Press;
* Senior newspaper feature writer overall winner -- Carroll du Chateau, The New Zealand Herald;
* Junior newspaper feature writer overall winner -- Jenny Macintyre, Sunday Star-Times;
* Magazine feature writer senior overall winner -- Jodi Yeats, NZ Doctor;
* Magazine feature writer junior overall winner -- Stacey Anyan, North & South;
* Photography Canon New Zealand awards, Senior Portfolio of Six Pictures winner -- Brett Phibbs, The New Zealand Herald;
* Best Single Picture winner -- Stephen Parker, The Daily Post - kids pinching clothes;
* Junior Portfolio of Six Pictures winner -- Nikki Williams, Wanganui Chronicle;
* Best Breaking News Picture winner -- Wayne Drought, NZPA - Girls run over
* Newspaper Front Page winner -- The New Zealand Herald;
* Newspaper of the Year winner -- Herald on Sunday; * Daily Newspaper over 25,000 circulation winner -- The New Zealand Herald;
* Daily Newspaper up to 25,000 circulation winner -- Manawatu Standard;
* Weekly Newspaper winner -- Herald on Sunday;
* Suburban or Community Newspaper winner -- The Aucklander (West);
* News Website Winner -- www.nzherald.co.nz.
