George Andrews

George Andrews is one of New Zealand's most experienced television producers. His extensive resume includes Landmarks, Great New Zealand River Journeys and Made in Taiwan.

Born in Wellington, Andrews went on to graduate from Victoria University with a bachelor of commerce. He began his screen career in London in the mid-60s, writing for production company Associated British-Pathé.

Two years later Andrews returned to New Zealand, remaining down under for the rest of the 60s. During this period he became the original reporter on flagship current affairs show Gallery, later working alongside Brian Edwards, David Beatson and future publisher Geoff Walker on the show.

In 1970 Andrews was back in London for another three years stint, this time as a journalist and production assistant at BBC-TV News & Current Affairs.

Since returning to New Zealand in 1973, Andrews has worked in documentaries, often as a producer, sometimes writing and directing them as well. For eight years he held executive posts as head of the documentary divisions of South Pacific Television, then Television New Zealand.

The late 70s saw Andrews working alongside the legendary filmmaking team of director David Lean and writer Robert Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia). While researching for a proposed movie of The Bounty (ultimately directed by Roger Donaldson), Lean decided to make a documentary about the discovery and salvage of one of Captain Cook's anchors. Filmed in the South Pacific and made with South Pacific Television, Lost and Found - The Story of Cook's Anchor went on to win an audience award at the 1980 London Film Festival.

In 1984 Andrews founded production company George Andrews Productions, which continues to operate today. The late 80s also saw Andrews helping raise capital and attending warrant hearings for the creation of a third channel, TV3.

Andrews' biggest production to date remains early 80s documentary Landmarks.  Three years in the making, the programme explored the development of New Zealand, using an approach that mixed history and geography. Andrews chose professor Kenneth Cumberland to front the series, which won a substantial primetime audience and a Feltex award for best documentary.

Andrews' shows as producer cross the gamut: they include sociological explorations of rugby (The Game of our Lives), aviation history (Reaching for the Skies), two documentaries involving Billy T James, and a fly on the wall series on kura kuapapa students abroad (Kia Ora Ni Hao). Treaty of Waitangi docu-drama Nga Tohu Signatures won a number of NZ Television Awards. Made in Taiwan (2006) saw presenters Oscar Kightley and Nathan Rarere tracing the voyage of their distant ancestors back to Asia.

The three-part Great New Zealand River Journeys (1991), presented by Sam Hunt, Jon Gadsby, and Lynda Topp, examined the history and people on three of the country's largest rivers.

In 2008, Andrews wrote and directed Allan Wilson - Evolutionary, a documentary about the pioneering and controversial New Zealand-born biologist. The programme was funded by the University of California, Berkeley, where Wilson spent much of his career.