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Hero image for Ever the Land

Ever the Land

Film (Trailer and Excerpts) – 2015

E
Exempt
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
As the building progresses, the stories and the histories emerge. Director Sarah Grohnert and editor Prisca Bouchet keep the tone light, but the cumulative effect is undeniable . . . a very well put together and watchable film. Ever The Land is one to be truly proud of.
– Stuff critic Graeme Tuckett, in a four and a half star review, 8 October 2015
[Director Sarah] Grohnert captures much about Ngāi Tūhoe — the people and the land — that eludes local non-Māori observers . . . The film does not shy away from conflict and misunderstanding, but its gentle observational tone is enchanting. It's an impressive little film that deserves attention. And the building's pretty damn cool, too.
– Excerpt from a four star review in The NZ Herald, date and author unlisted
Devoid of talking heads, Ever the Land captures and pieces together natural discussions from the Tūhoe people in their element. You can call it fly-on-the-wall filmmaking, but it often feels more like they pulled a chair up for the fly as they converse about the past, the future, Tūhoe philosophy, and the importance of the living building.
– Flicks writer Liam Maguren in a four star review, 27 August 2015
[it's] Aotearoa’s living building — the only one outside of the United States. The only building ever built by indigenous people. It produces all its own power, it’s not connected up to the mains, it’s zero waste, and it enhances its environment. So, in three years, people, I haven’t paid one dollar of my money for electricity and when the cyclones came and all of the electricity was cut, people came to the kura whare because we could still give them a cup of tea and a meal.
– Tūhoe leader Tāmati Kruger describes the Te Kura Whare project during a lecture at Auckland University, 31 October 2017 (E-Tangata website)
Tūhoe have always had a concern for the environment and living in a way that is respectful of the land and waters. Reinstating these values and principles was central to the design and construction...
– A description of the Te Kura Whare project, on the Tūhoe website
Maybe we have reached the point where we should lay down our arms and make resolutions so that we can move forward. It's a difficult thing to do, because some of us were born angry and want to fight forever.
– Tūhoe leader Tāmati Kruger addresses a group of Tūhoe people
..do we have 15 million dollars . . . the answer is yes. If we paid 15 million dollars for this, does that mean we're broke? Ah no. It just means that we have to set our priorities up. And what would be a great relief to us is that if we settle all of our claims with the government at the end of this year, then we won't have to tighten our belts up too much.
– Tūhoe leader Tāmati Kruger talks about how much the living building is expected to cost, to an audience of Tūhoe people