Pictorial Parade No. 23 - Pumicelands

Short Film (Full Length) – 1954

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Wikitoria MacDonald

22 Oct 2014 - 09.09pm

Great archival footage and documentation. Very appreciative of this as I gain a greater understanding of rural communities such as the forestry villages who appeared not long after this era. It is always interesting to hear maori version of how the lands became inhabited and by whom. this was another perspective altogether, but one I was able to put into place.

2 Dec 2011 - 08.18am

The pitching of man against nature, with scientists and pioneers working to tame nature with chemicals, machines and fire is certainly of its time, and a modern viewer would struggle to express such earnest enthusiasm for the project. We would surely never present land development in the same way now, but would mining sections of our conservation estate really be so different in substance?

The absence of any reference to the Maori history of the land is also telling, although the confident use of"Pakeha" (at 16:53) is an encouraging sign.

The Maori man wielding a flamethrower (at 9:23) definitely has the makings of an internet meme.