We use cookies to help us understand how you use our site, and make your experience better. To find out more read our privacy policy.

Our People Our Century - Families at War

Television (Excerpts) – 2000

New Zealand is a nation that has been scarred by war: from the horrendous loss of lives at Gallipoli to the decimation of the 28th Māori Battalion, Kiwis have gone to war in their 1000s, and many have not returned. This Our People, Our Century edition explores the experiences of soldiers, and the families who waited at home. It also examines the long tradition of protest against war, from the anti-Vietnam movement to the more recent anti-nuclear protests. The script by Philip Temple, won a best documentary script award at the 2000 NZ TV Guide Television awards. 

I don't really remember hearing Mum and Dad grieving together over these losses. People became inured to it ... I mean there wasn't a day when somebody's son or somebody's brother, or some man wasn't being killed. And even the pictures of them in the weekly news [were] ... just another casualty list.
– An interviewee remembers World War I

Produced by

Logo for Ninox

Ninox

Acknowledgements

Made with funding from NZ On Air

More from The World War I Collection...

Thumbnail image for WWI Remembered

WWI Remembered

This specially designed light and sound installation...

Thumbnail image for Great War Stories
Series

Great War Stories

Great War Stories is a series of 35...

Thumbnail image for Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story

Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story

This documentary tells the stories of the New Zealand...

Thumbnail image for Poppy

Poppy

In short film Poppy, two Kiwi soldiers...

Thumbnail image for Journey to Arras

Journey to Arras

This documentary unearths the story of the soldiers in...

Thumbnail image for Field Punishment No. 1

Field Punishment No. 1

This telefeature follows the gruelling journey...

Thumbnail image for 1990 Commonwealth Games promo - Join Together

1990 Commonwealth Games promo - Join Together

This epic Lee Tamahori-directed promo for the 1990...

Thumbnail image for Children of Gallipoli

Children of Gallipoli

Children of Gallipoli offered viewers another...

Thumbnail image for The Years Back - 1, The Twentieth Century (Episode One)

The Years Back - 1, The Twentieth Century (Episode One)

Made for television, this 13-part National Film Unit...

Thumbnail image for The Berry Boys

The Berry Boys

The Berry Boys combines animation, historical...

Thumbnail image for The Civic Reception of Lieutenant John Grant VC

The Civic Reception of Lieutenant John Grant VC

This is a silent film record of the civic reception of...

Thumbnail image for When We Go to War - First Episode (excerpt)

When We Go to War - First Episode (excerpt)

This miniseries is built around the fortunes of the...

Thumbnail image for Chunuk Bair

Chunuk Bair

Feature film Chunuk Bair dramatises an...

Thumbnail image for War News - The Gallipoli Evacuation (excerpt)

War News - The Gallipoli Evacuation (excerpt)

What if soldiers on the front line of one of New...

Thumbnail image for French Connection

French Connection

In the northern French town of Le Quesnoy, the names...

Thumbnail image for Grandfather's Footsteps

Grandfather's Footsteps

In 1916 Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence 'Curly' Blyth,...

Thumbnail image for 25 April

25 April

The first animated feature made and originated in New...

Thumbnail image for The Forgotten General

The Forgotten General

Director Karl Zohrab’s docudrama makes the case...

Thumbnail image for Saving Face

Saving Face

The trenches of World War I represented warfare on a...

Thumbnail image for Foreign Fields

Foreign Fields

Invited to compete in short film contest Tropfest NZ...

Thumbnail image for Our Oldest Soldier

Our Oldest Soldier

Lawrence 'Curly' Blyth volunteered for World War 1...

Thumbnail image for Our Lost War

Our Lost War

In this documentary, Outrageous Fortune...

Thumbnail image for Gallipoli

Gallipoli

Made by Turkish director Tolga Örnek,...

Thumbnail image for Our People Our Century - Families at War

Our People Our Century - Families at War

New Zealand is a nation that has been scarred by...

Thumbnail image for Pioneer Women - Ettie Rout

Pioneer Women - Ettie Rout

The Feltex-winning series Pioneer Women...

Thumbnail image for Falls the Shadow

Falls the Shadow

In this documentary, artist Helen Pollock discusses...

Thumbnail image for Pictorial Parade No. 96 - The New Army

Pictorial Parade No. 96 - The New Army

An edition of the Pictorial Parade...