A documentary series that gives history to New Zealand’s past via the retelling of the country’s geological construction, the eventual Māori settlement circa 1250 AD and the European ‘discovery’, and later usurpation, of Aotearoa from the late 18th century. Using voiceover, dramatic reconstruction, footage and stills from the country’s archives and a mixture of Māori myth and European history the series constructs a narrative that binds together the multiplicity of New Zealand’s stories.
“This episode tells the story of how economic collapse led to the reforming zeal of one of New Zealand's great governments. We watch the Liberals, with Richard Seddon at the helm, striving to turn a struggling colony into "God's Own Country." Wool, wheat and property booms of the 1870s collapsed under a worldwide depression. People here suffered so much that men tramped the roads looking for work and women and children were forced to work in "sweatshops." Trade unions rose, went on strike and were crushed.
“Out of this poverty and chaos came a new government, the Liberals, with a mandate to fight privilege and promote equality. We meet the determined, clever men who will lead the Liberal cause and rough West Coast publican, Richard John Seddon, who would become Prime Minister in 1893 and be dubbed "King Dick."
“Soon the first women's movement, led by Kate Sheppard, pressures the government to give women the vote. After nationwide debate and petitions to Parliament, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant the vote to everyone over the age of 21.
“The Liberals pushed through many other reforms and we became known as "the social laboratory of the world." The great rural estates were broken up, industrial relations and working conditions improved, and old age pensions introduced.
“But Māori continued to struggle, as most of their remaining land was lost. We watch the Young Māori Party, with Apirana Ngata to the fore, encouraging Māori to hold on to their land and improve their health and education. Soon the Māori population began to rise.
“We meet author Katherine Mansfield, painter Charles Goldie and composer Alfred Hill as New Zealand identity started to develop and artists focused on the land they lived in.
“But trouble was brewing in paradise. After Seddon's death in 1906, hidden pressures began to erupt. We follow the rise of militant trade unions and a new class of farmers. Growing class antagonism almost led to revolution. Strikes spread from the West Coast coalmines to the Waihi goldfield and then to the ports. In 1913 a nationwide strike culminated in violence in the streets of Auckland and Wellington. The episode ends as the new conservative government, under Prime Minister William Massey, uses policemen, soldiers and armed farmers to crush the strikers." - TVNZ; tvnz.co.nz; 29/06/2006
INTERVIEWS: Russell Stone (Historian), Erik Olsen (Historian), Mark Derby (Historian), John Martin (Historian), Richard Seddon, Derry Seddon, Charlotte MacDonald (Historian), Magaret Lovell-Smith (Historian), Tony Simpson (Historian), Dr. Ranginui Walker (Historian), Hamish Keith (Art Historian), Karl Andersen (Historian), Mark Derby (Historian).