Ever the Land

In 2014 Ngāi Tūhoe completed a sustainable ‘living building', made entirely out of materials sourced from Tūhoe land. Feature-length documentary Ever the Land captures the construction of Te Kura Whare, from initial proposals through to the building's opening, and explores the history and values reflected in its design. This 15 minute clip looks at the early days of a remarkable project. After selling out at the 2015 New Zealand International Film Festival, Ever the Land won four star reviews, and invitations to  25+ festivals around the globe. The film marks the directorial debut of German-born editor Sarah Grohnert. 

The layers in Ever The Land are fascinating — the commitment of Tūhoe to a low impact building, to combining the modern and the ancient, the use of engineering detail and lots of human labour, and the themes of resolving Treaty grievances and creating new pride, were woven through. The creativity in the storytelling in Ever The Land was powerful — and captured an essence of New Zealand that is about the land enduring.

– Former sustainability adviser Nicola Young praises Ever the Land, The Whanganui Chronicle, 19 September 2015

Key Cast & Crew

Alexander Behse

Producer, Additional Camera Operator

Jerome Partington

Associate Producer

Carolyn Harper

Production Manager

Nick Buckton

Sound Design, Sound Mix

Prisca Bouchet

Editor, Additional Camera Operator

Sarah Grohnert

Director, Additional Editor, Associate Producer, Cinematographer, Sound Recordist