Kaleidoscope - Ngāti

Television (Excerpts) – 1987

If we don't do it, other people will.
– Screenwriter Tama Poata, on Māori telling their own stories

It was the vision of a 14-year-old boy, originally, and having to face up and understand the problems [war, epidemics, freezing works closing] of that time.
– Scriptwriter Tama Poata on the autobiographical aspects of Ngāti's script

To see a film being developed and finished, of my own making, is a great thrill for me personally, and I think that it’s a beginning for Māori people to tell their side of the story and put the record right if you like in the history books.
– Ngāti scriptwriter Tama Poata

It’s intensely relevant I think to Māori. And to Pākehā, well…I hope it’s an opportunity for them to peep over the side of the marae and maybe learn something. That’s not my concern. I hope it gives strength, and I’m fairly confident will give strength, to Māori living anywhere, be they elders or youngsters coming up.
– Director Barry Barclay on Ngāti