6945 AUCKLAND: October 15, 2007, is a date etched into the memories of all Tuhoe, and many other New Zealanders.
This was the day New Zealand police launched anti-terrorism raids on the people of Tuhoe, in the valley of Ruatoki and beyond.
With extraordinary access and filmed over a two and a half year period, the aftermath of the raids is explored in OCTOBER 15, screening on Maori Television on Saturday, August 7, at 8.30pm.
OCTOBER 15 is an intimate record of how events touched the lives of the people in the days, weeks, months and years following the raids.
“We filmed as the people rebuilt their lives and addressed the after-effects of the raids on their children,” says producer Pietra Brettkelly.
“On a more political level, we also followed Te Kotahi a Tuhoe, the group led by Tamati Kruger that sought to take civil action against the police.”
The documentary looks at the raids in an historical context from a Tuhoe perspective, from colonial confiscation, clashes with colonial powers during the time of Rua Kenana and his followers at Maungapohatu, through to the police actions of the modern day.
Supplemented by archive footage, director Kim Webby also weaves in animation and dramatic reenactment.
Interview subjects include Tame Iti and his whanau, as well as some of the women and children who were detained in sheds, outdoors or in police vehicles for up to six hours. They were ultimately released, and were never charged with any offence.
“The raids were based on a claim of terrorist activity - a claim staunchly refuted by Tuhoe. So what is Tuhoe country really like?
"These documentary makers have had an extraordinary opportunity to document the real lives of these people, their shock following the raids of October 15 and their pursuit of redress,” says Maori Television’s general manager of programming Haunui Royal.
OCTOBER 15 kicks off a new season for Maori Television’s Pakipumeka Aotearoa - New Zealand documentary slot. Other subjects in the weeks ahead include profiles on the Polynesian Panthers and reknowned sculptor Chris Bailey. - Maori Television/Pacific Media Watch
Pacific Media Watch
