Top TV Actor award goes to a proud son of Kuki ‘Airani

Dominic Ona-Ariki (Atiu/Rarotonga) has been recognised for his role in the crime drama series, One Lane Bridge.

Speaking to Ma'a Brian Sagala on Pacific Days, Ona-Ariki says winning Best Actor at the New Zealand Television Awards winner is an acknowledgement of the hard yards he’s put into pursuing an acting career.

“If anything it’s a great validation of all the work that goes seen and unseen. I think I’ll learn more maybe in the coming weeks or months about what this means to me.

"At the moment, reflecting back on it, it’s just a great validation for gunning for something and not knowing whether or not it’s gonna work out.”

Set in the mountainous rural parts of Queenstown, the show follows a mysterious murder case that took place on the infamous One Lane Bridge landmark.

Ona-Ariki, who plays Detective Ariki Davis, says his character’s arc has intriguingly progressed to becoming the lead focus.

“In the first season he was a new character… a fly on the wall. A lot of that role was a lot of listening. Season two … he started to have more of a voice and I started to feel a bit more of the pressure of what was required of me.

“It wasn’t until the third season where I just had a bit more confidence in myself, taking on the lead role.”

Produced by Great Southern Television and TVNZ, the show debuted during Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and aired its third season in November last year.

Ona-Ariki says he had to shift gears and work hard off-screen to ensure he was prepared enough to become the driver of the show.

“I worked with a lecture coach, vocal coach, and exercised more to try and get my body to a leading man kind of physique. I’ve realised that it helps me more (because) my body is good, my mind is good, and therefore I can do good work.”

As for Ona-Ariki’s future roles, he’s going from on-screen to on-stage with the Massive Theater Company production called ‘I LOVE YOU G’. Working with Pacific actors Beulah Koale and Neil Amituanai the show is aimed at school students and curtains raised in May 2024.

Watch all three seasons of One Lane Bridge on TVNZ+ and catch the full interview with Dominic Ona-Ariki below.