Real Kiwi environmental efforts on big screen

Mayors, politicians, critics and members of the public are raving about the New Zealand documentary Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku which screens in Matakana tomorrow, Wednesday 17 June.

Former Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons called the film “simply stunning”, while Port Hills MP Ruth Dyson described it as “very moving”.  Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey declared Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku as “the film of the year” and Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin said “every council member, every council, every council worker, and every child in every school in New Zealand should see it”.

Shot at breathtaking locations around the country by acclaimed cameramen Alun Bollinger and Mike Single, Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku focuses on special New Zealanders who love, nurture and protect their environment.

The ‘stars’ include Craig Potton, environmentalist; Isla Burgess, herbalist; Gerry Findlay, bird caller; Alan Mark, botanist; Hugh Wilson, tree farmer; Kay Baxter, seed saver; Makere Ruka, Waitaha kuia; Charles Royal, Maori chef; Jim O’Gorman, organic farmer; and Rita Tupe, Tuhoe healer.  

After launches in Christchurch, Akaroa, Picton, Dunedin, Nelson, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Auckland, Wellington, Oamaru and Gisborne, the film has elicited dozens of emails to Director Kathleen Gallagher from audiences wanting to know ways they can effect positive change for the environment.

“Our ‘stars’ have saved heritage seeds, regenerated forests, harvested and protected wild herbs, left the car forever to ride a bicycle, and saved huge swathes of old forest. These people are a delightful and powerful example that even a person living in the centre of a city can protect and enjoy native forest, ride a bike, or grow a garden,” Kathleen says.

The Press reviewer James Croot also enjoyed hearing the stories from the ‘stars’.

“Each tells their tale in their own words and are captured in their natural habitats by renowned cinematographers Alun Bollinger and Mike Single, who also do a great job in bringing New Zealand’s varied flora and landscape to life.”

Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku recently screened at the Reel Earth Film Festival in Palmerston North to a standing ovation and critical acclaim.

For more information about the film and a full list of upcoming screenings, visit www.wickcandle.co.nz.