This episode of Koha uncovers a forgotten ‘Golden Age’ for Māori people living on the banks of the Waikato River up until the mid-19th century. Māori agriculture, horticulture and trade within the Waikato were thriving in the 1850s. The Māori people adopted new technologies and tools to create economic success for themselves — providing a brief window of bliss before the New Zealand Wars and land confiscations changed the region forever. This short documentary explores these changes in Māori life, which the Waikato River bore witness to.