Bogans and fashionistas continue to mull over when exactly the word ‘mullet’ was first applied to the short at the front and sides, long at the back hairstyle. Did it start with fashionable 1970s Frenchman Henri Mollet, or was it the Beastie Boys, with their 1994 song ‘Mullet Head’? The question ...

It is time to pull back the curtains on classic Kiwi TV soaps of yesteryear. Soap operas officially hit NZ television in 1975: two of them did actually, although Close to Home was the one that lasted (A Going Concern was the one that didn't). The other longstayers in this Spotlight collection are...

This Spotlight collection features sailing on screen, from America's Cup classics such as 80s sea shanty Sailing Away, Billy T exploring the inaugural Kiwi Cup challenge in Perth, and Dennis Conner’s Holmes walkout. Then tack away to the 1974 doco on NZ sailing identity Geoff Stagg, a Sam Neill-d...

Actor, dancer and singer Shane Cortese picks his favourite titles on NZ On Screen for this Top Five Spotlight collection. Cortese’s choice choices are Outrageous Fortune (“… a show I’m immensely proud to have been a part of”), The World’s Fastest Indian, Home by Christmas (“… great New Zealand st...

‘Don’t leave town till you’ve seen the country’ was the catchphrase for an 80s advertising campaign, reminding Kiwis that tourism begins at home. You won’t want to leave NZ On Screen until you’ve seen this Spotlight collection of tourism promos, which set out to entice the world with our "upbeat,...

Online parody show Like Mike has added a new member to New Zealand's prestigious puppet alumni — a Sesame Street style version of Mike Hosking, which is much less wooden than their original puppet. The replacement Mike is in good company, as shown by this Spotlight collection of famous television...

This Spotlight collection features a trio of Springsteen song covers on NZ On Screen: Head Like a Hole’s take on 'I’m on Fire' (with Beatles/U2-aping music video); Sonny Day’s 'Savin' Up' (a cover of the song Bruce wrote for legendary sax player Clarence Clemons, reprised by Day in a steamy 80s V...

New Zealand has a fine tradition of Kiwi canines on screen. So what better way to celebrate than a Spotlight collection of our favourite screen dogs: from Spot to Dog, plus "Bugger", Hairy Maclary and more. Dogs are a part of the NZ idiom — we love rooting for the underdog — and played key roles ...

To mark Valentine's Day, NZ On Screen Content Director Irene Gardiner has selected 14 Kiwi love songs spanning 40 years of NZ music history. The list is in chronological order — from an early Loxene Golden Disc winner for Ray Columbus and the Invaders, to Dragon in the 70s, and in the 80s, everyo...

Mark Hadlow's screen career spans everything from Children of Fire Mountain in 1979, to embarking on a quest to The Lonely Mountain as Dori in The Hobbit. We asked him to scratch his dwarf's beard and choose his Top Five titles on NZ On Screen. Hadlow's picks include Billy T as the Tainuia Kid an...