In the NZ Herald NZCST Trustee John Harris asks why we have so few Kiwi dramas on TV for children, and so little money for production.
The United States has produced and immortalised a huge number of “heroes”: Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Revere, Geronimo, Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull, Luke Skywalker, Hannah Montana, Calamity Jane, Pocahontas, Bonnie and Clyde, Hiawatha, Spider-Man. Some good role models, some bad. Some true, some fictional. Their stories have been celebrated through film and television.
How many New Zealand popular heroes can you name? Probably not many. We aren’t so great at celebrating our local heroes on TV and film. But this could change with a little more help from New Zealand On Air.
Adults and children receive generous NZ On Air funding for factual programmes on TV. But when it comes to drama, children are relegated to the back seat.