IanMackersey
- 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.
Screenography
Biography
Ian Mackersey's love of aviation manifested on film, in books, and in the air.
Born in Wellington on 14 October 1925, Mackersey began his working life as a journalist, writing for The Dominion and The New Zealand Herald. In 1948, having learnt to fly, he left for England, hoping to join the Royal Air Force. Instead, he would spend more than six years writing (and travelling) for various RAF publications, while also flying part-time for the RAF's volunteer reserve. His time at the RAF was punctuated by a year in Hong Kong, working on the night shift for the South China Morning Post.
“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...”