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The Island

Television (Full Length) – 2008

This documentary looks at the history of the island of Motutaiko, the prominent landmark in the middle of Lake Taupō. Motutaiko is a sacred site for Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Directors Toby Mills and Moana Maniapoto use interviews and shots of island life to examine Motutaiko’s geological and mythological origins, its strategic place in Māori history (from the muttonbirds that gave the island its name, to its role as a stronghold), desecration of burial sites, and its contemporary place as a conservation bastion free of predators — and home to rare birds, insects and trees.

The island’s really important because there’s nowhere in the central North Island that’s pest free and it’s just a little gem.
– Botanist Nick Singers

Produced by

  • Tawera Productions

  • Black Pearl Productions

Source

Tawera Productions