Two Rivers Meet / Te Tutakinga O Nga Awa E Rua

This 1977 film looks at the meeting of the 'two rivers' (Māori and Pākehā, oral and written) of the Aotearoa literary tradition. Rowley Habib is a guide as hui take place and readings of contemporary Māori poetry are set to images of Māori life, from Parihaka and land march photos to Bastion Point, urban scenes and a Black Power hangi. Poets include Mana Cracknell, Peter Croucher, Robin Kora, (a young) Keri Hulme, Brian King, Apirana Taylor, Katarina Mataira, Don Selwyn, Henare Dewes, Rangi Faith, Dinah Rawiri, Haare Williams, Hone Tuwhare, and Arapera Blank.

Richard Turner's lively film of Māori poets in full flight, ranges from the bitter and tragic to the ironically humorous, giving an absorbing vision of Māoridom.

– The NZ Herald, 1978

Key Cast & Crew

Bayly Watson

Camera Operator

Rowley Habib (Rore Hapipi)

Narrator, Compiler

Lee Tamahori

Camera Assistant

Alister Barry

Camera Operator

Craig McLeod

Sound

Richard Turner

Director, Editor