Who Was Here Before Us?

Aotearoa is the last big land mass on earth discovered and settled by people (orthodox history suggests Māori arrived around 1280). Directed by Mark McNeill, this Greenstone TV documentary examines controversial evidence put forward to claim an alternative pre-Māori settlement — from cave drawings and carvings, to rock formations and statues. Historians, scientists, museum curators, and amateur archaeologists weigh up the arguments, DNA, carbon, and oral stories of the early Waitaha people, to sift hard fact from mysticism and hope.

I’ve had many moments of elation, especially in front of the computer screen … when I started to work out that there were beautiful star patterns for example ...

– Amateur archeologist Martin Doutré, on patterns he’s divined in Northland rock formations

Key Cast & Crew

Mark McNeill

Director

Tony Manson

Producer

Brad Mercer

Writer, Research

Karen Woolly

Production Manager

George Johns

Aerial Camera Operator

Graham Wallace

Sound Mix