The New Migration – On Maori Television

PUBLICITY RELEASE
THURSDAY, JULY 9 2009

The New Migration – On Maori Television

Five young, talented Maori redefine their definitions of success and happiness in the latest, thought-provoking series of THE NEW MIGRATION, starting on Sunday July 12 at 8.00 PM on Maori Television.

Spanning from Kaitaia to Christchurch, the series documents the stories of the five individuals and their families as they return to their roots to reclaim their identity and language, values and whanau connections.

Reconnecting with their past is something they have longed for on many levels. But leaving behind careers and lives in the city or abroad for a quieter, often rural existence is not always easy. Have they made the right decision?
In the first episode, Shane Heremaia is managing the tribal fisheries settlement in his role as General Manager for Te Kotahitanga o Te Arawa Trust in Rotorua.
He had a successful career as a lawyer in London, but felt the pull home after returning to get married in 2007. A year later, he and his wife, Puna, came home for good.

Heremaia’s story of adjusting to a slower pace of life and wanting to fit back in is echoed throughout the series.

Producer/part director Yvonne Mackay, from Wellington’s Production Shed TV, says the second series of THE NEW MIGRATION delves deeper into people’s lives than the first, which premiered last year.

“Our brief is to look at the reo, to look at going back to their Maori roots and we did do that, but I am very strong on the view that this new series should have interesting themes that are also universal,” she says.

“There are always two or three reasons why people go home, but they are always entwined with the comfort of knowing their people and their place.”

Indeed, Pereri King’s move back to the Hawke’s Bay from Melbourne came after he realised just how important family was, and his need to understand where he came from.

Catherine Davis left the bright lights of Wellington for sleepy Ahipara to take up the opportunity to help develop and progress her own iwi, while practical reasons underlined actress Waimihi Hotere’s decision to start over in Cambridge with a baby on the way.

“We really needed to point out how hard it is to go home,” says Mackay.

Director Mina Mathieson says the series will resonate with people across the generations.

“It’s a real portrayal of where Maori are today,” she says. “It’s wide-ranging without being too generic, corporate or grassroots.

“We have some really wonderful stories that show a range of Maori dealing with the ongoing impact of their history and it was an absolute privilege to be part of it.”

Join these inspiring people as they share their stories in THE NEW MIGRATION, starting July 12 at 8.00 PM.

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