Treat for audiences of documentary, factual, arts programmes

Media Release

16 December 2014

A treat for audiences of documentary, factual and arts programmes

Our beautiful country, its history and people will shine next year in a number of new series just funded by NZ On Air. Also supported will be another hard-hitting series from Nigel Latta and a remarkable true-life story.

“This is a fantastic line up of informative and challenging programmes that will keep the water-cooler and social media conversations fired up in 2015,” said NZ On Air CEO Jane Wrightson.

From the Platinum Fund, a new series for TV One Coast New Zealand will focus on New Zealand’s unique coastline gathering stories about the history, people, archaeology, geography, marine and animal life in different coastal areas of the country.

Also from the Platinum Fund is a feature-length dramatised documentary The Monster Of Mangatiti. It is the true story of a remarkable woman who after 23 years was finally able to see her abuser exposed for keeping young women as sex slaves at his isolated North Island farm.

Arts lovers will enjoy the ultimate book tour, as host Marcus Lush retraces the 1895 journey of New Zealand made by Mark Twain. By land, train and boat, Lush follows in Twain’s steps, reading his little-known book about the journey and re-imagining the New Zealand Twain waxed lyrical about. Twain’s Tour will also screen on TV One.

A twist on the architecture series, The History Of The New Zealand Home will take an historical overview of New Zealand architecture as interpreted by father and son artists Dick and Otis Frizzell.

Two new and one returning Rautaki Māori series have been supported. The Crayfishersfor Prime will follow a tangata whenua family who have fished the passages of their tipuna for over 500 years. For Māori Television, The Pacific Voyagers Te Mana O Te Moana, takes a group of young Māori on board New Zealand waka moana Haunui for the trip of their lifetime. Kaitiaki and voyaging expert Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr will instruct them in the art of celestial navigation. The acclaimed series Songs From The Insidereturns for a third season using music to rehabilitate prisoners, this time in Christchurch.

Viewers will welcome the Topp Twins back for a second series of the charming Topp Country, and audiences will explore more of the hard contemporary issues in another series of The Hard Stuff With Nigel Latta. The first series prompted national conversations about issues such as poverty and sugar in food.

“In our 25th year we continue to be delighted with the diversity, quality and creativity of content local producers present us with. Viewers are being well-served by the contestable funding model which ensures great value for money from great content,” says Ms Wrightson.

Funding details

Coast New Zealand, 6 x 1 hr, Great Southern Television for TV One, $1,748,576(Platinum)

The Hard Stuff With Nigel Latta 2, 8 x 1 hr, Razor Films for TV One, $1,361,790

The Monster Of Mangatiti, 1 x 90mins, Screentime New Zealand for TV One, $897,101(Platinum)

Twain’s Tour, 8 x 30mins, Jam TV for TV One, $890,556

History Of The New Zealand Home, 7 x 1hr, Eyeworks NZ for TV One, $746,889(Platinum)

The Pacific Voyagers Te Mana O Te Moana, 10 x 30 mins, Zoomslide Media for Māori Television, $746,430

Topp Country 2, 10 x 30mins, Diva Productions for TV One, $685,095

The Crayfishers, 10 x 30mins, Great Southern Television for Prime, $647,200

Songs From The Inside 3, 11 x 30mins, Awa Films for Māori Television, $285,000

© Scoop Media