Here to Stay - Series 1

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Check out Here To Stay on Vimeo for rent or to buy.

They say you don’t know where you are going until you know where you’ve been. The fascinating journeys in Here To Stay prove that point.

The great Kiwi tribe is a mix of values, personalities and tempers that come from around the world, and six well known Kiwis have put themselves out there to discover just what parts of the Kiwi character their own ancestors brought to these shores.

Here to Stay Series One is available on DVD now.

Would we have sheep dogs, scones or a female prime-minister if it weren’t for the Scots? Scots-Samoan entertainer Jackie Clark travels the country to uncover the whisky stills and anti-English celts who have contributed to our vaunted sense of fairplay. Song writer Don McGlashan joins with Frankie Stevens, Sarah Wiseman and Dick Frizzell in a march past of Scots-blooded Kiwis.

Has the German love of slapstick humour, bread and classical music lent anything to the revered ‘she’ll be right, mate’ attitude, or are they only good as military leaders? 4th generation German Kiwi Ewen Gilmour, whose ancestors are the Reisima family from Staab, meets fellow Krauts like Josh Kronfeld as he attempts to sort that one out. At the very least he discovers they do a good line in beer.

Chinese director/reporter Bernadine Lim has her own experience of the Sino-Kiwi effect on New Zealand’s perceptions of the world and asks where do the Asian values fit in a country that prizes rugby above most other things? She discovers that Kiwi icons including Bro’ Town (designer Ant Sang), hip-hop (rapper / producer John Chong Nee) the pound of butter (entrepreneur Chew Chong) are all part of the legacy of the Chinese.

Lancashire-born Kiwi actor Michael Hurst has a look at just about everything, we have to thank the English for... fish and chips, Minis, rugby, morris dancing. And different meanings of the word ‘root’. Featuring gardener Xanthe White, historian Jock Phillips and magazine editor, Coro fan and royal watcher Wendyl Nissen.

Self confessed ‘bog-Irish’ actor Theresa Healey takes a trip into the rugged hardship and prostitution of the West Coast as well as the big city convents and schools to discover the legacy of the hard drinking, yarn telling, song singing Irish. The fightin’ Irish have had a huge impact on our sports teams, music and cultural life, as we learn from Irish-Kiwi icons like Neil Finn, Sean Fitzpatrick, Peta Mathias and Maggie Barry.

And Sports legend Frano Botica (former All Black and league international who has played for Croatia) delves deeply into the tight relationship between Dalmatian settlers and Maori in the far North, and discovers that his Croatian ancestors truly followed their own roots into stonemasonry, construction, fishing and wine. Pluto lead singer Milan Borich and entertainer Tina Cross add their own Dally vignettes.

Here To Stay is an energetic, high impact documentary series that brings to life the personality and legacy of some major settler groups. It hones in on the character of our great and grand parents, their triumphs, legacies and spirit. They are tales that all Kiwis will be surprised by, recognise and take to heart.

With a dramatic filming style and incorporating new and dynamic visual elements Here To Stay redefines what viewers expect from a documentary series.