Open House revolved around the ups and downs of a drop-in house run by Tony Van Der Berg (Frank Whitten, later Outrageous Fortune's Grandpa Ted). In this first episode there's money trouble, court trouble, domestics, a pregnant teenager and an abandoned baby ... but there's community spirit aplenty as the house's whānau prepares for its first birthday celebration, complete with Scottish brass band and Samoan drums. Tony's first lines to a raving old man on Petone Beach? "Good onya mate!". Features author Emily Perkins as Tony's idealistic stepdaughter.

Getting its start thanks to three years of NZ On Air funding, ‘Shorty Street’ has grown to become not only a commercial success, but an important training ground for many actors, writers and crew. Generations have grown up watching storylines and characters they can relate to. In this interview to celebrate NZ On Air's 30th birthday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern describes the impact of the show, and its importance to New Zealand culture. Actor John 'Lionel Skeggins' Leigh recalls the early days of working on the street, and the many adventures his character faced.

Where would New Zealand culture be without our own music? In this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday, Mike Chunn (founder of the Play It Strange Trust) describes the 2007 documentary series that followed a group of promising teenage songwriters as they honed their compositions — with help from Play It Strange judges and mentors like Jordan Luck. Chunn is overcome with emotion as he describes the feedback he receives from parents of those involved with the programme, while Luck feels "honoured" to have worked with young musical talent.

Since 1981, generations of tamariki have grown up with What Now?’s weekend shenanigans. Who didn’t want to be gunged? The show's other magic ingredients are the kids of Aotearoa, and a series of young hosts who know how to have fun. In this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday, politician Kris Faafoi talks about watching the show while getting ready for Saturday morning sports. Faafoi's brother Jason was a What Now? presenter. Meanwhile former host Simon Barnett discusses his first day on the job (he was 21) — and how much he loved working on the iconic series. 

Since 2009, the contribution of 7 Days to the Kiwi comedy scene has been enormous. In this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday, former executive producer Jon Bridges traces the show's history back to a group of comedians deciding to film a pilot in TV3's basement. Since then the irreverent, topical panel show has become a Friday night staple. To the comedians and writers, it's a vital place to hone skills and build a career. Host Jeremy Corbett argues that the key to 7 Days' success is relatability: Kiwi audiences feel like they can 'join in' the conversation— and the insults.

Television presenter Hilary Barry praises whacky and "so dry" comedy series Wellington Paranormal in this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday. Barry talks about how the spin-off from What We Do In The Shadows is so different and understated that viewers tuning into halfway through could easily get confused. Writer/producer Paul Yates talks about rising respect for Kiwi comedy and how much of the show is ad-libbed, while Barry laughs about the great relationship between police officers O'Leary (Karen O'Leary) and Minogue (Mike Minogue).

Documentary series The New Zealand Wars reframed Kiwi history. Researched and presented by historian James Belich, it examined armed conflict between Māori and Pākehā. The show gripped the country when it screened in 1998— including Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy. In this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday, she recalls how the show changed her perception: "I thought I knew New Zealand history, and I didn't." Director Tainui Stephens talks about how the series provided a Māori perspective mixed with "intellectual Pākehā rigour" and "a lot of aroha".

Thanks to NZ On Air's support, The X Factor gave New Zealand performers a primetime platform, created excitement and controversy and drew huge, committed audiences. Former Olympian Barbara Kendall explains why she enjoyed the Kiwi version of the show so much, and why one contestant in particular caught her attention. Then X Factor executive producer Andrew Szusterman shares how this "massive, massive show" came to New Zealand, and celebrates the distinct, Kiwi flavour it took on — one example being Stan Walker's judging style.

As part of a series marking NZ On Air's 30th birthday, this video looks back at Bic Runga song 'Suddenly Strange'. It was released in 1997, when music videos were crucial to an artist finding an audience, and when NZ music was still finding its unique voice. Fashion designer Kate Sylvester reflects that the video "captures an amazing time" of creativity in Kiwi culture. Her partner, Wayne Conway, who directed the video, talks about how Runga's stripped-back music paralleled 1990s trends in NZ fashion; and Bic Runga talks about how, for a musician, videos always involve "a leap of faith".

At a time when Pasifika people were rarely seen on-screen, Tagata Pasifika was a bastion of Pacific stories. For Oscar Kightley, it was "more than just a TV programme" —  it meant on-screen representation for his Pasifika community. In this video celebrating NZ On Air's 30th birthday, Kightley also recalls how impressed his mum was with presenter Susana Hukui's "impeccable" dress sense. Veteran Tagata Pasifika producer Stephen Stehlin talks about working on one of Aotearoa's longest-running series, and the importance of presenting stories about our all-important "front yard".