Ian Mackersey
Writer, Director
Although best known for his books, Ian Mackersey worked on films in at least three nations. His journalism career took him from Wellington to Hong Kong and Africa. In Zambia he began producing films for a mining company, before heading film operations for British Airways in London. After returning to New Zealand he made a documentary and a book about pilot Jean Batten, and directed a documentary about local television.
There was no television here when I left. I returned to find two very sophisticated channels. Soon I discovered they were a regular target for public attack. This puzzled me. Having seen the output of a large number of world television services I believe that, for a small country, New Zealand has developed a remarkably professional operation. Frankly, it gives its audiences a considerably higher standard and variety of programmes than the services of many bigger countries... Ian Mackersey describes the state of New Zealand television, in 1985
