Islands of the Gulf - Great Barrier

Presented by Kiwi TV pioneer Shirley Maddock, Islands of the Gulf was New Zealand’s first locally-made documentary series. In this episode Maddock makes the 50 mile seaplane flight from Auckland to Great Barrier/Aotea. Accompanied by birdsong, she proves an eloquent, attentive guide to ‘The Barrier’. She recounts the tragedy of the SS Wairarapa and the wonders of post by pigeon, tramps to old kauri dams, and surveys the quirks of transport for the 240 people then living on the rugged, bush-clad island — from a Land Rover-driving nurse, to a Chrysler taxi once owned by Al Capone. Read more about the show here.

Warning: A short interview in clip two running from 12 minutes to 14 minutes contains incomplete audio.

Television news, interviews and documentaries were skills nobody knew anything about when the medium arrived here. Shirley's background in radio and theatre, combined with her extreme intelligence, helped put together groundwork which has remained a benchmark lasting to this day as the industry has flourished.

– Max Cryer remembers Shirley Maddock in The Sunday Star Times, 14 October 2001

Key Cast & Crew

Shirley Maddock

Producer, Presenter, Writer

Don Whyte

Cinematographer