Standing in the Sunshine - Sex & Family

This episode of documentary series Standing in the Sunshine examines how sex, love and childbirth were taught (or not taught) in New Zealand families, and how feminism inspired societal shifts, giving women the 'power to choose'. Nancy Sutherland, founder of the Parents Centre, and Mary Dobbie, founder of Family Planning, discuss the dearth of sex education in post-war New Zealand and the restrictions around contraception. Pioneering Māori health worker Waireti Walters credits her her rural childhood with teaching her the basics about sex, and stresses the need for young Māori to nurture their self-esteem. 

I was supposed to be sent off 'up north for a while' and not admit to anybody that I was pregnant — you just didn't do it. Mothers sent their sons across the Tasman to avoid being 'got at' when there was an unplanned pregnancy, and daughters were sent away in disgrace.

– Denny Anker remembers the repressive sexual and social climate of post-war New Zealand

Key Cast & Crew

Sandra Coney

Executive Producer

Malcolm Hall

Producer

Carol Archie

Narration Script, Narrator

Diane Musgrave

Co-Director

Melanie Rodriga (née Read)

Co-Director

Jan Preston

Composer