Made in Taiwan

In this documentary 'Naked Samoan' Oscar Kightley, and Māori radio/TV personality Nathan Rarere use DNA technology to trace their families' ancestry. They discover that their forebears originated in Taiwan before migrating to the Pacific via Vanuatu (and the Cook Islands, for those going on to Aotearoa). On the DNA trail they meet locals and find striking cultural similarities — even in Taiwan, where the indigenous people look Polynesian, and provide a haka-like welcome. The film won top honours at the International Oceania Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti.

Taiwan was incredible. All the connections came together — language, culture, people. It was strange to realise that after this whole journey we didn't even need the DNA. We looked the same. We felt at home. In every cell in our body we carried the same DNA.

– Nathan Rarere

Key Cast & Crew

Ben Freedman

Camera

Nathan Rarere

Presenter

Rewa Harre

Camera

Oscar Kightley

Presenter

George Andrews

Producer

Dan Salmon

Director