Taika Waititi's fourth feature is the tale of a city kid and a grumpy uncle on the run. Raised on hip hop and state care, Ricky (Shopping's Julian Dennison) goes bush with his foster uncle (Sam Neill), with the authorities on their tail. Wilderpeople is based on Barry Crump's book Wild Pork and Watercress. Keen to recapture the style of classic screen yarns like Came a Hot Friday, Waititi's goal was a funny, accessible adventure. The result won acclaim almost everywhere it went, including a massive seven wins at the 2017 Moa Awards, and became New Zealand's biggest-ever local hit at the time.

Smith (Sam Neill, in his breakthrough screen role) is devastated when his wife runs off with his best friend Bullen (Ian Mune), so escapes to the Coromandel. The government enlists an anti-terrorist force to crack down on its opponents, and Bullen — now a guerrilla — asks Smith to join the revolution. Directed by Roger Donaldson, this adaptation of the CK Stead novel Smith's Dream heralded a new wave of New Zealand cinema; one of the only Kiwi films of the 1970s to win a big local audience. A much-discussed scene includes a baton charge by government forces, predating the real-life conflicts of the 1981 Springbok tour.