Islands of the Gulf

Islands of the Gulf was New Zealand’s first local documentary series — written, presented and produced by Aotearoa’s first female producer, Shirley Maddock. Intended as a one-off programme about the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, it ran to five half-hour episodes examining life in the Gulf, in an era when Kiwi faces were still a screen novelty. Aviation legend Fred Ladd provided aerial footage. Maddock’s tie-in book was extensively reprinted. In 1983, she revisited the area in a TVNZ documentary. In 2018 Maddock's daughter presented an updated series.