‘Heavenly Creatures’, 1994

Director: Peter Jackson.
Script: Frances Walsh, Peter Jackson.
Starring: Melanie Lynksey (Pauline), Kate Winslet (Juliet), Diana Kent (Hilda), and Sarah Peirse (Honora).
Production: Jim Both, for WingNut Films, with Fontana Film Productions and New Zealand Film Commission.
Length: 108’
Awards: Silver Lion, Venice International Film Festival (1994). The movie was also nominated in the category of Best Original Screenplay by the Academy (1994)

The film is based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, two close friends whose are obsessed with each other. After a doctor tells Honora (Paulina’s mum) that she is homosexual, Juliet’s parents decide to separate them and take Juliet to South Africa. They let them spend their last 3 weeks together. So desperate they were that Juliet accepts Pauline’s proposal of killing her mother. On June 11^th, 1954 they kill Honora in Victoria Park, beating her head with a brick.

The Police used Pauline’s diary as evidence and they were put in different jails until they were released under the condition of never seeing each other again.

Heavenly Creatures caused a debate on the ethics of using the misfortune of others as dramatic material. Despite of this, international and national critiques showed their enthusiasm for the film.

Films in Aotearoa

The American Film Institute has called the New Zealand film industry "one of the wonders of the world... an unparalleled success story". This is probably because no one (not even New Zealand) expected this small isolated country to have so many famous filmmakers, who have gained the world’s attention.

Versatility and innovation have been key words in Kiwis development as successful filmmakers. The industry has gained reputation because of its values and because of New Zealanders hard work.

New Zealand first film projection was in the Opera House, Auckland in 1896. After that first step we can mention some of the most famous Kiwi Movies. For example The birth of New Zealand (1922), Goodbye Pork Pie (1980), Bad Taste (1987), The Piano (1993), Heavenly Creatures (1994), Forgotten Silver (1995), The Frighteners (1996), Snakeskin (2001), Whale Rider (2003), Without a Paddle (2004), King Kong (2005), The World's Fastest Indian (2005), Sione's Wedding (2006), Black sheep (2006), Men shouldn’t sing (2007), Boy (2010), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2002-2003).

A lot of other famous movies like Avatar, The Lovely Bones, The chronicles of Narnia, etc., have been filmed in New Zealand because of its landscape. Sometimes New Zealand gets underrated because people don’t know that the film they are watching was filmed by a Kiwi and probably because not too many people know what New Zealand is.

Like John Grierson said: ‘Above all, they have to send films about people so that they can see their faces and remember that New Zealand is not just a set of spots at the end of a map, but a real country, with a glow of future in the eyes and a throb of life in the heart’.

Kiwi Music

What can we say about New Zealand music? Even though is not very famous around the world, it is very loved and heard by New Zealanders. There is ‘Kiwi’ music in every party and event that you go, they always ‘dance’ (it is not the most danceable music, and ‘kiwis’ don’t really dance very well but they try to do their best) it or they just enjoy sitting down, talking and listening at some ‘kiwi’ songs, the boys drinking some Tui and the girls drinking some Spirits.

It is so important to for them to make a space for music in their lives that they have the NZ Music Month – ‘New Zealand Music Month began in 2001. Each May, New Zealand music is showcased on radio and television and in live performances. It aims to boost the visibility and success of New Zealand music. It was developed to support the New Zealand music industry by creating a commercially successful platform for local performers’. Available in http://www.nzhistory.net.nz –

New Zealand music develops different genres of music, for example Reggae, Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, Ska-Punk, and its own sub-genre Dub Aotearoa.

Some of the most famous bands are Elemeno P, Shihad, Hello Sailor, OMC, The Black Seeds, Salmonella Dub, Katchafire, Deja Voodoo, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Opshop, The Exponents, Goodshirt, Split Enz, The Feelers, Smashproof, Midnight Youth, Evermore, etc.

And some of the song writers/singers are Bic Runga, Liam Finn, Tiki Taane, Luger Boa, Gin Wigmore, Dave Dobbyn, etc.

Their music is very loved by New Zealanders because most of the bands sing about their lifestyle. For example in this part of an Elemeno P song we can understand a little bit, more of how Kiwis see life.

‘Got My Coffee and a Packet of Cigarettes
Up Late cause Lectures don’t start
I have a Bowl of Weet-bix
and a Plate of Bacon and Eggs
Sunday Morning Gunna do it all again!’

(Elemeno P – Every day’s a Saturday. 2002)

In this first verse they sing about a typical Saturday morning in New Zealand, having some typical ‘kiwi’ breakfast and some Weet-bix. Even though it is an Australian cereal, Kiwis eat it with milk every morning. If you listen to the song, is mainly about how relaxed and slow Saturday’s are and how they see every day as a weekend.

I picked up this other verse from another song by Elemeno P, which (I’ve got to mention it) is one of my favourite songs.

‘Here's a little story that should be told
With a whole lotta heart and a little bit of soul
Well we're all stuck in dead end jobs
But the party's out the back
So Baby come on!!!’

(Elemeno P – Baby Come On. 2007)

In here is pretty much the same, this song is about how taking life as it comes and that even though you’ve got to work really hard to get what you want, it doesn’t matter; you will always find the way to celebrate with your family and  mates.

There’s another pretty interesting fact about the lifestyle in New Zealand, the weather. The weather is just unpredictable, it can be very sunny in the morning and then suddenly it will start raining. Kiwis are used to this kind of weather and it actually doesn’t affect their life. This shows how Kiwis are just so relax, and how they just don’t let small things, like the awful weather, to get in their way.

Here we have a piece of a song, which it was written by Dave Dobbyn – ‘Dave Dobbyn is regarded as a national treasure in New Zealand.  Wherever Kiwis gather around the world, it is likely to be songs by Dave Dobbyn they sing when thinking of home. Songs written by Dobbyn had moved people throughout the country. They were songs they had danced to with their first lover, songs they have married to, songs that made them laugh and cry or even played when burying their loved ones.’ Available in http://www.davedobbyn.co.nz –

‘You got really rotten weather it's so hard, I know...
Tell me where a weatherman should start,
When he's miles from his sunshine...
Promise you the warmest winter fire,
When outside its freezing cold...
Promise you the bluest summer sky;
It'll shine just for you...’

(DD Smash – Outlook for Thursday. 1983)

In this song Dave Dobbyn sings about the weather and how unpredictable it can be. He tries to put it in a metaphorical and aesthetic way.

So we can state that New Zealand music is the expression of the culture of New Zealand. It has been influenced by Maori people and immigrants from the Polynesia but its musical origins are predominately British, with contributions from America and Europe.

Certainty, Kiwi music is unique and different but the most important thing is that at the end of the day is a reason to bring Māori and Pakehas (Māori term for New Zealanders who are not of Māori blood lines, mostly descended from British) together with one purpose: To create music that no matter what colour your skin is, you can all enjoy equally.

TV Series: Outrageous Fortune, The West Rules.

Outrageous Fortune Cast

When you think about New Zealand TV series, you might think of Shortland Street, Marlin Bay, Go Girls, Flight of the Conchords, Plainclothes, etc. But the one that you probably think of in the first place is Outrageous Fortune.

Everyone loves Outrageous Fortune. Even if you are not from New Zealand, once you’ve watched it, there’s no way you can get tired of it.

Outrageous Fortune is the second longest-running drama made in New Zealand (The first one is Shortland Street, which it has been broadcasted for 18 years). It was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and it was produced by South Pacific Pictures (Television Production Company based in New Zealand). This show started airing in July, 2005 and it finished in November, 2010. The show has been aired in Australia, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Estonia, and the UK.

This fantastic show is about a family of criminals, the West, that decide to straight after the patriarch is jailed. The main characters each walk a fine line between what’s right and wrong. They get in a lot of troubles but they also try to stay loyal to their family. Each episode from the series gets its name from Shakespeare quotations, as well as the name of the series.

All the soundtracks used in the show draw on New Zealand music. Its trailer track is Hello Sailor’s ‘Gutter Black’.

After six seasons and an amazing response from the audience, Outrageous Fortune has become New Zealand’s favorite drama series and the West family has become New Zealand’s favorite family.

Aotearoa: My Point of View

So many people travel abroad looking for something, something that they can’t find where they live. They look for comfort, adventures, freedom, opportunities, a new beginning, etc.

This was exactly what happened to me. In 2006 I got on a plane to go to New Zealand because my school had an exchange program with a school located in Christchurch. There were two types of exchange, the first one for a month and the second one for a year. The last one was a scholarship and it was really hard to get it.

I was really excited about the trip because, even though I had travelled before (to Argentina), this was the first time that I was travelling out of the continent. Plus, what did I really know about New Zealand? Isolated island, Australasia, sheep, English, what else? I didn’t know anything about it, to be honest.

When I got there I was shocked! Christchurch was so different from Chile. It was clean, pretty, green, quiet and peaceful. It was so different from everything I knew.

I stayed one month there, I travelled around, and I met amazing people… I absolutely fell in love with New Zealand.

When I got back to Chile I so wanted to go back that I didn’t mind about missing one year of high school because the only thing that I knew for sure is that I wanted to spend more time in New Zealand. I was determined to apply for the one year scholarship and leave everything behind.

I applied twice and I didn’t have any luck, but the third time in 2008, finally worked out and I got the scholarship.

In January, the 19th of 2009 I got on a plane and I started my adventure in Christchurch. I travelled around, I went to the north island and I also had the opportunity to go to Australia. I went to school and met heaps of people from all over the world, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Japan, Spain, etc. I also met the kindest and coolest ‘kiwis’ ever! In summary, I had the best year of my life and I realized that I wanted to live in that country. I’ve never felt as comfortable as i did in New Zealand, I never felt so safe and I never had that feeling of being able to do so many things in a really short time.

The thing is that I’m always asking myself why? Why would I rather live in New Zealand than in my own country where I have everything I need? This is not an easy question to answer. I mean, I’ve been wondering the same thing for about 5 years and I haven’t really come to the conclusion yet.

The good thing is that I am not alone in this. There are a lot of people out there asking themselves the same thing. Why? Because lots of people go to New Zealand and never leave. And if you don’t believe me, ask Joe Bennett.

I found a book the other day and it was called ‘A land of two halves’. When I read the title I immediately thought about New Zealand. I ordered it online and I’ve been reading it since then. The book it is perfect, it actually shows me that I’m not the only one who thinks that New Zealand has something about its people, its culture, its land - I don’t really know – that makes you fall in love with it.

Joe Bennett writes: ‘This was the last country in the world to be settled. Maori came from Polynesia less than a thousand years ago. Europeans began to arrive in the eighteenth century. […] It was a New Zealander who split the atom. It was a New Zealander who conquered the Everest. New Zealanders sing at Covent Garden, make movies in Hollywood, write software for British dentists, farm more efficiently than anyone in the world, build boats for billionaires and do better at games than they have any right to. But still the country looks at itself and wonders, like a younger brother hovering on the edge of the big boys’ games. And now I’m going to join in the wondering. […] But my main purpose is selfish. I’ve lived a third of my life here now. One of my dogs is buried on the hill behind my house. Within a few years my other dog will die. And then there will be nothing to keep me here but habit. The question I want this trip to answer is whether, when the day comes, I should stay or go’. - A land of two halves, Joe Bennett. May, 2005 –

This is exactly what I mean. We don’t really know what it is but we will eventually find out some day. For now we can just analyze Kiwi culture and see if we find some answers!