Māori Television Anzac Day programming

PUBLICITY RELEASE
Monday 21 March 2011

MĀORI TELEVISONS UNVEILS ANZAC DAY SCHEDULE

For the sixth year running, Māori Television will devote all of its Anzac Day programming to commemorating those who gave so much for our freedom.

ANZAC 2011 - KOTAHI TE WAIRUA (‘One Spirit’) airs from 5.50am to 11.30pm on Sunday April 25 2010, the sixth year the channel has dedicated its whole schedule to this significant day. Māori Television’s Julian Wilcox will once again share hosting duties with Judy Bailey.

The day begins with a live dawn karakia, mihi and raising of the flag from the Devonport Naval Base, then moves to the Auckland War Memorial Dawn Service. Also on the programme are three must-see new documentaries. Nga Toa O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa The Warriors of the Pacific: Papua New Guinea and Nga Toa O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa The Warriors of the Pacific: Solomon Islands reveal the untold stories of what happened in both countries as the Allies fought Japanese forces in World War Two. Dancing in the Sky (by Julian Arahanga, who played Nig in Once Were Warriors) follows the extraordinary life of William Rhodes-Moorhouse, the first airman to earn a Victoria Cross.

Dispersed throughout the day are fascinating vignettes which in which New Zealanders recount their tales of passion, bravery, humour and sacrifice. The evening is dedicated to entertainment and comedy as entertainer Chris Powley and friends present an evening of classic Māori showband nostalgia.

As in previous years, Māori Television airs the ANZAC Address, this year delivered by Sir Wira Gardiner, who had a 20-year Army career before becoming founding director of the Waitangi Tribunal.

Schedule highlights are confirmed as follows:
6.00 am Dawn Service live from the Auckland War Memorial Museum

7.00 am Nga Toa O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa The Warriors of the Pacific: Solomon Islands
This documentary examines the crucial role of the Solomon Islands in defending the Pacific from Japanese invaders.

8.00 am Grandad’s Medals
This delightful story centres on a nine-year-old boy’s fond memories of his grandfather – and how he won his medals in the war.

9. 35 am Sky Soldiers
Nikolaos, a young man from Crete, remembers the day “sky soldiers” – thousands of German paratroopers – came to his village. From the book by Glyn Harper.

10.30 am Nga Toa O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa The Warriors of the Pacific Papua New Guinea
The township of Rabaul in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, played a critical role during the Japanese invasion of the Pacific. Hear the stories from those who witnessed the Japanese invasion – and have lived with the memories ever since.

12.00 am Feature Film: Above Us the Waves (1955)
The greatest threat to the British navy is the German battleship Tirpitz, but its anchorage in a Norwegian fjord makes it impossible to attack successfully. The navy comes up with a plan to use midget submarines to plant underwater explosives. This gripping, action-packed film stars Sir John Mills and Donald Sindon.

2.00 pm Live from Ataturk Memorial, Wellington
New Zealanders and Turks come together to lay wreaths and remember those who died at Gallipoli. Turkish and Māori artists perform.

3.30 pm ANZAC Cove Commemorations
Edited highlights of the 2011 Gallipoli commemorations.

7.00 pm Toku ANZAC: An interview with Ray Avery
Judy Bailey interviews the 2010 New Zealander of year, Ray Avery, who invented inexpensive lenses for cataract sufferers in war-torn countries.

8.00 pm ANZAC Address
Sir Wira Gardiner delivers the 2011 ANZAC address.

8.30pm Documentary: Victor 3 – Birth by Fire
In 1968 in Vietnam, a patrol of nine New Zealand soldiers found themselves ambushed and under fire from around 80 Viet Cong; against all odds, all but one of the Kiwis survived. This moving documentary captures the moment these brave and heroic men reunite after 40 years to share their memories of an historic moment in our Vietnam War history.

10.15pm Documentary: Dancing in the Sky
Dancing in the Sky, by Julian Arahanga, traces the extraordinary life of William Rhodes-Moorhouse, the first airman to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Anzac Day is about our memories, our stories and the people who served for us. ANZAC 2011 - KOTAHI TE WAIRUA (‘One Spirit’) airs from 5.50am to 11.30pm on Sunday April 25 2011.

ends

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