Up the Kiwi

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 947, 4 October 1957, Page 25

Up the Kiwi

FOUND myself disappointed by the programme Where the World Begins, a documentary on New Zealand, produced by the NZBS for the BBC. John Gundry wrote the script in what I can only describe as a pointillist style, with little dabs of opinion judicially applied to make a colourful total impression. And the whole programme was hung on the simple and reasonably engaging idea that the world’s day begins in New Zealand, and a full Kiwi day, morning, afternoon and evening was offered to the world to see what could be made of it. Not much, I would say. Maui began by fishing out the) North Island in the old ‘style, thence | to sheep, cows, Maoris, children, pulp | and paper, tourist spots, and at length the Kiwi. Mr Gundry made some neat points on our emblem bird, that it does not leave the ground, and that it is suspicious of strangers. But the programme did not offer nearly enough diversity of opinion; it was all too selfconsciously "cut down to size," and nowhere did I find a hint of that admirable, and often cussed, non-conformism which is one of the strongest qualities here, The programme was conducted in a mélange of accents, from gutteral Maori, to pure Kiwi, to NZBS refined nonenity, and "Marie and Pakeha"’ offended me. Where the World Begins offers, in short, a national stereotype,

instead of something which, with the same material and resources, could have been pungent and flavoursome.

B.E.G.

M.