The intrepid Ice TV trio — Jon Bridges, Nathan Rarere and Petra Bagust — head to Nelson to host the 1998 Montana New Zealand Wearable Art Awards. They meet the creators of the fantastic fashion catwalk extravaganza, whose garments are inspired by everything from Alice in Wonderland, roadkill, X-rays, birds, and the Buzzy Bee, to taniwha and Pasifika. The 'Illumination Illusion' section (designed to be seen in ultravoilet light) is a highlight. Bridges and Rarere revel in going behind the scenes of the 'bizarre bras' section, and Bagust tries on a possum-skin bikini.

Reporter Greg Boyed gives Dr Seuss a run for his money in this story on the Undie 500, a dash down Auckland's Queen St for runners willing to make their underwear 'outer' wear. Boyed delivers his voice-over in perfect rhyming couplets, even tying in off the cuff comments from the two winners. Back in the studio, Judy Bailey and Simon Dallow enjoy Boyed's creativity. Boyed went on to present current affairs show Q+A, and late night news bulletin Tonight. After his death on 20 August 2018, tributes flowed in from across New Zealand.

From an idea by Australian producer Brendon Lunney, Deepwater Haven was a kidult series on TV2, set in fictional community Cooks Haven. It followed the fortunes of Waitemata Harbour tugboat skipper Jack Wilson (Vince Martin of Beaurepaires ad fame) and his two kids. The 26 30 minute episodes were a co-production between South Pacific Pictures (NZ), Beyond Productions (Australia) and F Productions (France). The young actors included Jay Saussey and singer Milan Borich. The show was nominated for Best Childrens Programme at the 1994 NZ Film and TV Awards. 

This impressionistic 1989 short film, directed by Mark Summerville, imagines gay tribal life on a fantasy South Pacific Island. Shot by Mairi Gunn, the film ripples with watery blues; a stormy Maggie Rankin soundtrack and whispered narration (from Ivan Davis) backgrounds images of marine sirens, coral crowns, apples, tapa, and entwined seaweed. In the middle of it all — a game of underwater hockey... The short film crossed the seas to gay film festivals in San Francisco, Vancouver and Hamburg, and toured with a British Film Institute selection of shorts.

Designed to inspire school leavers to find their career, Pathways sees a selection of young New Zealanders talk about their job paths. The pilot episode of this 1994 Careers NZ resource is bookended with a 'mini-drama' about young people flatting together, which includes some familiar faces. Karl Urban plays lazy surfer Wayne, while Robbie Magasiva is the sales assistant whose plans of climbing the career ladder go awry. Marcus Lush plays a DJ who links a series of interviews with people either working or training. Later Lush interviews experts on youth employment prospects.

While convalescing down under Sir Charles Pemberton (Terence Cooper) schemes to build a thermal spa in the town of Wainamu c.1900. Conflict ensues as the spa’s planned location is on Māori land. The action is seen through the eyes of youngsters: hotelier’s son Tom, and Pemberton’s granddaughter Sarah Jane; who — along with an erupting volcano — eventually impart on Sir Charles a lesson about colonial hubris. The 13-part series was a marquee title from a golden age of Kiwi kidult telly-making: it won multiple Feltex awards, and screened on the BBC in 1980.

Directed by Peter Burger (Until Proven Innocent), this top-rating tele-feature dramatised the life story of legendary comedian Billy T James. Billy screened on 21 August 2011 as a Sunday Theatre drama on TV One, 20 years after Billy T’s death, aged just 42. Actor Tainui Tukiwaho (Step Dave) plays Billy T. Touted as revealing "the man behind the chuckle", the drama traverses Billy T’s life from childhood. This excerpt follows Billy as he reaches the peak of his career, fronting TV skits and pub stand-up.  It was adapted by Briar Grace Smith and Dave Armstrong from the Matt Elliott biography.

Marlborough's beloved grapevines star in this comedy feature, which was shot at a winery in just 11 days. Twenty-something Harry (Hayden J Weal from Chronesthesia) is dumped by his fiancée, just days before their wedding at a vineyard. Two of Harry's friends ensure the wine doesn't go to waste as they try to cheer him up. Written and directed by Casey Zilbert, the film was inspired by classic Ernest Hemingway novel Fiesta (aka The Sun Also Rises) about drunken expats in Europe. Hang Time is Zilbert's first movie; at university, her studies included Fiesta and wine science.

This 1970s talent show was a popular light entertainment programme for new channel TV2. It followed in the television footsteps of New Faces and Studio One, with wannabe stars mostly covering popular classics. The buzzers and tough judges of X Factor are decades away. This final from the 1975 season, filmed at Christchurch’s Civic Theatre, sees contestants cover everything from country and western to cabaret. Promoter Trevor Spitz awards record contracts, and talent co-ordinator Ray Columbus joins host Rhys Jones to announce the winner.

The first New Zealand series of Dancing With The Stars featured a line-up of talent including entertainers (actor Shane Cortese and comedian Ewen Gilmore), athletes ( Silver Fern Bernice Mene) and entertainers turned politicans (mayor Tim Shadbolt and Georgina Beyer). But it was ex-All Black Norm Hewitt who set the series on fire, thanks to his personalised paso doble with partner Carol-Ann Hickmore. Combining elements of the haka with excellent footwork and posture, Hewitt wins the first perfect score of the series and has the studio audience on its feet.