1 9 7 1 – 1 9 7 2 (New Zealand)
12 x 60 minute episodes
Pukemanu was the first drama series made in New Zealand.
Resoundingly popular – it was one of the top rating TV programmes in the country in 1971 – the NZBC series was set in a North Island timber town and offered characters that Kiwis could relate to at a time when local accents were rarely heard on TV in New Zealand.
It was the first TV drama to examine the idiosyncrasies of the community-oriented culture of the archetypal New Zealand town – with rugby tournaments, marae meetings, parish bazaars and an annual wood-chop.
The series featured a mix of Māori and Pākehā (white) actors, and viewers and reviewers praised its authenticity and its bicultural approach. A number of episodes included subtitled segments in te reo Māori.
Even though Pukemanu ran for only twelve hour-long episodes in total, its unexpected popularity made it an influential template for later local TV drama series such as Mortimer’s Patch (1980s), Marlin Bay (1990s) and Mercy Peak (2000s).
Phyllis Telford
Pat Evison Tahu
Grant McFarland Charlie Rata
Ernie Leonard Angus
Tama Poata Dan Harrigan
Tony Barry Dr Rhyder
Ian Watkin Ray
Geoff Murphy Mark Gold
Peter Vere-Jones Koro
Jackson Smith Cass
Grant Tilly Denning
Harry Lavington Myra McKay
Sue Hansen Rod Booth
Ian Mune John Halloran
Michael Noonan Paddy
Con O’Leary Mrs Gold
Christine Bartlett Norm Sullivan
Johnny Johnstone David Gold
Noel Trevarthen Pieter Devries
Han Van Wamel Hemi
John Paekau Si Lamb
Bernie Marsh Wiremu
Henry Bird Gary Devries
Tim Evison Mabel Devries
Glenis Levestam McKelvie
Phillip Mann Tamahau
Bill Parker Nosaka
Yasuo Yagyu Diana Thorpe
Ginette McDonald Colin Thorpe
Alex Trousdell May Thorpe
Dorothy Toogood
It was the first TV drama to examine the idiosyncrasies of the community-oriented culture of the archetypal New Zealand town – with rugby tournaments, marae meetings, parish bazaars and an annual wood-chop.
