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Kōrero: Television

Islands of the gulf

Islands of the gulfwas New Zealand's first locally made documentary series. It appeared in 1964, four years after television had begun in the country. The producer, writer and guide was Shirley Maddock, who introduced viewers to the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, presenting their history and contemporary activities. The first programme was about Great Barrier Island. Here is an excerpt from that programme, in which Maddock meets some of the locals soon after touching down in a float plane.

View the full programme on the NZ On Screen site.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

TVNZ Television New Zealand

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Trisha Dunleavy, Television – New Zealand content, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/video/45681/islands-of-the-gulf (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Trisha Dunleavy, i tāngia i te 13 June 2014.

Comments

Clive Sowry
09 June 2016
The year given for this series (1965) is incorrect, and one year too late. "Islands of the Gulf" first went to air from September 1964. The "Listener" of September 4, 1964 has a cover photo plus a feature article about the series on page 3.