A documentary series that gives history to New Zealand’s past via the retelling of the country’s geological construction, the eventual Maori 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 Maori myth and European history the series constructs a narrative that binds together the multiplicity of New Zealand’s stories.
“The final episode of Frontier of Dreams tells the story of the dramatic changes in New Zealand's social, economic and political structure during the decades after 1984. It was a time of great upheaval for all sectors of society, an age of "breaking free."
David Lange's Labour government, elected in 1984, faced an immediate economic crisis which allowed the Minister of Finance, Roger Douglas, to begin a period of radical reform, now known as "Rogernomics." We watch as the free market is promoted, taxes overhauled and the New Zealand dollar floated.
For a while new businesses blossomed and share prices boomed. We see people with money living the "Gloss" lifestyle. But the 1987 share market crash showed it was all an illusion.
The government, while reforming the economy, was also remaking our place in the world. Opposition to nuclear ship visits led to our exclusion from the ANZUS alliance. New Zealanders were shocked when the French bombed the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior" in Auckland harbour.
But these were distractions from a growing internal crisis. We watch as state enterprises are sold off and as urban workers, small towns and farmers struggle to survive. The Lange government collapsed under the strain and the next National government responded by cutting welfare benefits. Social insecurity reigned.
Voters took their revenge by changing the electoral system to a form of proportional representation, known as MMP. The new Prime Ministers, including, for the first time, women, from now on had to form coalition governments.
Both National and Labour supported the resolution of long-held Maori grievances under the Treaty of Waitangi. We see major settlements signed and Maori re-establishing a central place for themselves in New Zealand life and identity.
Recently, Maori and Pakeha have had to adapt to another wave of new immigrants, as Asians have been added to our ethnic makeup. Fortunately, in the first years of the 21st century the economy has been growing strongly, with employment booming in the tourism and service industries.
We end with the country continuing to make itself anew, as it has done ever since the first immigrants arrived nearly 800 years ago. We see our uniqueness, as a small but innovative and vibrant nation, with a mix of people increasingly looking to Asia and the Pacific." TVNZ; tvnz.co.nz; 30/06/2006
Interview: David Lange (Former PM), Roderick Deane (Reserve Bank), Sir Roger Douglas (Former Finance Minister), Ken Douglas (Trade Unionist), Bryan Gaynor (Advisor to Lange), Cheryl Paine, Tony Astle (Restauranteur), H. Munroe Brown (US Ambassador), Sir Geoffery Palmer (Former PM), Martin Gotje (1st Mate Rainbow Warrior), Ross Vintiner (Lange’s Press Secretary), Allan Galbraith (Detective Superintendent), Jim Anderton (MP), Ron Burgess, Terry Nobbs (Railway Worker), Ranginui Walker (Historian), Sir Douglas Graham (Cabinet Minister), Jim Bolger (Former PM), Hana O’Regan (Ngai Tahu), Michael King (Historian), Tapu Misa (Journalist), Jock Phillips (Historian), Bronwyn Dalley (Historian), Gavin McLean (Historian).