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Hero image for The Governor - The Reverend Traitor (Episode One)

Part one of five from Episode One: The Reverend Traitor. (Full length)

Part two of five from Episode One: The Reverend Traitor. (Full length)

Part three of five from Episode One: The Reverend Traitor. (Full length)

Part four of five from Episode One: The Reverend Traitor. (Full length)

Part five of five from Episode One: The Reverend Traitor. (Full length)

The credits from episode one.

The Governor - The Reverend Traitor (Episode One)

Television (Full Length Episode) – 1977

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TV drama The Governor examined the life of Governor George Grey in six thematic parts. Grey's 'Good Governor' persona was undercut with laudanum, lechery and land confiscation. NZ televison's first historical blockbuster was hugely controversial, provoking a parliamentary inquiry and "test match sized" audiences. It won a 1978 Feltex Award for Best Drama. In first episode 'The Reverend Traitor', Grey arrives to colonial troubles: flag-pole chopping Hōne Heke, missionary Henry Williams, and rebellious Te Rauparaha. Writer Keith Aberdein goes behind the scenes here.

It [the Governor] has made Māori matter. If Pākehā now have a better understanding of the Māori point of view; if the Māori, particularly the younger generation, now have a pride in their race, it stems from The Governor.
– Auckland Star reviewer Barry Shaw