Documentaries & Docuseries

Here is how this works in practice. We crew documentary and docuseries shoots inside a country whose non-fiction custom is inseparable from tangata whenua (Māori 'people of the land'). The Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840 partnership history (Bay of Islands, Waitangi Day Feb 6). Our directors and field producers work fluently with iwi/hapū cultural protocols — karakia, powhiri, tikanga, and marae permissions — and we carry standing relationships with Whakatohea, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, and Tūhoe iwi for projects needing formal consultation.

Here is how this works in practice. Heritage subject-matter touchstones we routinely cover have Hone Tūwhare's poetry archive, Witi Ihimaera's novelist-output (Whale Rider source material), and Briar Grace-Smith's writer-director catalogue (Cousins). Festival pipelines route through Doc Edge (NZ's flagship doc festival), NZIFF (since 1969 across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin), and Wairoa Māori Film Festival. NZ on Air's documentary funding stream and NZ Film Commission federal allocations underwrite a big slice of the domestic-broadcast slate.

Here is the short of it. In practice, we shoot Maori taonga puoro (classic instruments) heritage features, scientific docs through Crown Research Institutes (Manaaki Whenua Landcare, NIWA, GNS Science) partnerships, and conservation pieces inside Tongariro UNESCO Dual World Heritage (first dual cultural-and-natural designation, with Mt. Ngauruhoe as Mt. Doom in LOTR). Te Wāhipounamu UNESCO (Westland Tai Poutini, Mount Aspiring, Fiordland), and Mackenzie Country UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve (top astrophotography). Department of Conservation Part 102 permits are required for national-park work — we lodge four-to-six weeks ahead. Crews scale from solo-shooter observational rigs through full doc-style camera-sound-lights packages, carry full ACC accident cover, and bill against 15% GST and bracket-based PAYE. The 25% NZSPG cash rebates applies to qualifying global docs meeting QNZPE thresholds. Archive partnerships with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision and TVNZ archives support footage research with rights-clearance pipelines we set up from start to finish.