Te Whiringa Taura o Whanganui

Duration: 52 minutes 
Year: 2007 
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 
Rating: Exempt 
Director: Howard Taylor  
 
Sacha Utupoto Keating of Ngati Ruaka explores the beautiful Whanganui River which has been fought over for centuries. The conflict continues into the 21st Century.
The beautiful, mysterious and magical Whanganui River has been central to the lives of Maori for over seven hundred years. Providing food, shelter and transport, it is both a taonga (treasure) and source of identity for the people living along its banks. In myth, its steep cliffs are the result of a fight over a woman. It has been fought over ever since, and the conflict continues today.
This is the story of a river and an iwi. It is also a story of conflict - race against race, iwi against iwi, even brother against brother. Te Whiringa Taura o Whanganui weaves dramatized reconstructions, archival footage and modern imagery into a rich and colourful story.

What the critics said:
"I usually run a mile from docos containing too many historical 'dramatisations', and further still from docos where much of the dialogue is in Te Reo Maori, with subtitles. But writer/director Howard Taylor's investigation of the mythical, historical, ecological and spiritual aspects of the Whanganui River is deeply moving. You're left entertained, enlightened and politicised."
- Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times

See more about this title at NZ On Screen