Kaitangata Twitch

This series has been very enjoyable. The story was originally written as a Children's book by Margaret Mahy. She has been an inspiration for all our children growing up in New Zealand. The story like many of her works brings in a beautiful balanced recount of cultural legends that have been told about significant places in New Zealand. Every mountain and island is sacred and has a story to the people of New Zealand. I love the way this series brings Kaitangata Island's legend into the modern childhood of Meredith. The island itself is fictional but there are many places that resemble it and have ties to Maori Legend and stories that have been pasted down for centuries. The people are the land and the land are the people.

What I like about this show is that the language Te Reo Maori is celebrated by being a large part of it. What a beautiful way to preserve the language and to share a story with our children.

My daughter has been glued and its her favourite show because she says its like her. American shows are not like the place where we live. She at 7 years old loves watching this. Her review as a child simply says "Mum, I like it you see because its true that we have to respect the protocol of our sacred places. We must never forget those because it keeps our place special".

Well done to the talented director, producers, cast and crew because this is Margaret Mahy's message. Love your home, look after it for future generations. Cherish the beauty and respect the land of the long white cloud.

This is the second time I have seen this, spread over a couple of years. I noticed there were no reviews here (those slack Kiwi's, leave it up to us Aussies to do everything). The acting in some areas, well acting/directing is a bit lame however it is not meant to be a sophisticated thriller, it is a movie for the younger of us. I believe that it would have more impact on viewers with an islander background (apologies to all people who hate being grouped under the "islander" tag, such as the Maori, no offence intended), but let's face it,, the islander people were some of the first Ocean Travelers going further than most, something to be proud of. This again would reach those communities as local language is spoken in the film with no subtitles. I have watched many Native films, from Africa, South America and Canada, some have more punch than the others however, for all kids up to say 12, will like this story, under 6, maybe a bit scary. It's worth a recommendation with the above criteria, so not a blockbuster, but good all round acting and cinematography along with story. Would be interesting if we ever saw a beefed up Hollywood version, not saying that big is better but just a question. Enjoy this as a matinée with the young ones.