Soldiers Without Guns

Before the war, it was just an ordinary, simple beautiful place where people loved each other.

– Marcelline Kokiai, who fled into the mountains with her children, when war began

It's not normal for a military force to go in unarmed...fair to say, felt a little bit naked.

– Ex NZ Army Major Fiona Cassidy, on the risky nature of the Bougainville mission

The Māori concert group and a good shipment of guitars are going to be the main weapons in our arsenal.

– NZ Defence Force top brass announce a unique peacekeeping mission in war-ravaged Bougainville

It is an apocalyptic story of a ravaged people.

– Broadcaster Paul Holmes describes the extended civil war in Bougainville

The film is really a journey into the darkness of war, and then into the light of people: a country, dedicated, risking everything to try and stop it.

– Director Will Watson on documentary Soldiers Without Guns, Newshub, 31 March 2019

Ending conflict is one of humanity's greatest challenges, and the traditional models for peacekeeping have mostly failed. So what could be done differently?

– Narrator Lucy Lawless on past peacekeeping missions in Bougainville

We said how we can help you? They wanted a meeting place to talk. So we brought them to New Zealand and put them on a marae. They had to do a pōwhiri and promise to come in peace, which they did. The moment they did a hongi and actually shared breath with each other, they burst into tears and that was the big icebreaker. Once they had broken down into tears and shared those tears, the whole peace process completely opened up to them.

– Director Will Watson on the success of the NZ Defence Force's attempt to end conflict in Bougainville, Newshub, 31 March 2019

... engrossing and fascinating ... Auckland based filmmaker Will Watson (Haka and Guitars) weaves his material together well, while Lucy Lawless' narration tells us what we need to know to understand what we are seeing ... Soldiers Without Guns made me prouder to live in this country than any film in recent memory. Go see it.

– Writer Graeme Tuckett in a four star review, Stuff, 18 April 2019

I only wish that Soldiers Without Guns could be shown in other war-torn places such as the Middle East, Northern Ireland or South Central LA. This is a film with a very real, very important message and it is told with intelligence and heart, resulting in a powerful, moving portrait of how thinking outside the circle can save lives.

– Reviewer Marty Duda, 13th Floor website, 25 March 2019

Roger's plan was to take in a force which had within in it women, a god element, was unarmed, and that was going to sing 'Ten Guitars' and basically go to the communities that it needed to work in ... and that was unheard of.

– Ex NZ Army Major Fiona Cassidy on Army Commander Roger Mortlock's idea

The reason that the women were able to have such an influence in Bougainville was because they were dealing with women. Women wanted to talk to women.

– Ex NZ Army Major Fiona Cassidy on the influence of Kiwi women soldiers during the peacekeeping mission

It was a very human way of transmitting the breath of peace into each other.

– Bougainville's Helen Hakena recalls the moment enemies greeted each other with a hongi during peace negotiations in Aotearoa

This is a remarkable experience we're seeing here. Since we've arrived, weapons have largely vanished.

– NZ Army Commander Roger Mortlock, who led the Truce Monitoring Group

This concept of Ngāti Tū [is] about bringing cultures together, about recognising the values of each ... saying 'here are the strengths. Let's bring them together, let's fuse this whole new kaupapa'.

– Des Ratima, founder of Ngāti Tūmatatauenga, which integrated Māori culture into the NZ Army's daily routines