This Country - New Zealand

Television (Full Length) – 1965

Made by the NZ Broadcasting Corporation in the mid 1960s, this half hour TV documentary sets out to summarise New Zealand. More than a promotional video, it takes a wider view, examining both the country’s points of pride and some of its troubles. In a brief appearance Barry Crump kills a pig, although the narration is quick to point out that the ‘good keen man’ image he epitomises is also a root of the country’s problem alcohol consumption. The result is patriotic, but certainly not uncritical. Writer Tony Isaac went on to make landmark bicultural dramas Pukemanu and The Governor.

On the left is novelist Barry Crump, the author of many humorous tales of the outdoor life. He can hunt deer and kill pigs with the best of his mates.
– Narrator Tim Eliott introduces Barry Crump