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Pukemanu - Pukemanu Welcomes You (first episode)
Television (Full Length Episode) – 1971
Pukemanu was the first continuing drama series made in New Zealand. Set in a North Island timber town, it offered characters Kiwis could relate to at a time when New Zealand accents were rarely heard on local screen dramas: rural, bicultural, boozy and blokey. Viewers and reviewers praised its Swannie-clad authenticity. This first episode sees a culture clash as a motorcycle gang (including a young Bruno Lawrence) hits town and causes trouble, running Ray (Geoff Murphy) off the road; and stranded townie Diana (Ginette McDonald) falls in love with a local axeman while hunting.
For years New Zealand viewers have delighted over the regional charm of Coronation Street with its unpretentious earthiness and quiet touches of pathos ... We may squirm in our armchairs, we may cringe with identification, but now the camera has turned on us with the same gleam of subtle observation.– NZ Herald reviewer Frances Parkin, 10 September 1971
Key Cast & Crew
See all 23 credits
Produced by
NZ Broadcasting Corporation
Acknowledgements
NZ On Screen acknowledges the talent and creatives for allowing NZ On Screen to reproduce this title on this website.
Music
Music by Wayne Senior and the NZBC Symphony Orchestra
Categories
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