Tau Te Mauri - Breath of Peace

This feature-length documentary by Kathleen Gallagher explores seven decades of peace action and anti-nuclear protest in Aotearoa. The eight Kiwis interviewed include Rainbow Warrior crew member Bunny McDiarmid, Pauline Tangiora from the Indigenous Initiative for Peace and priest George Armstrong, who met the might of nuclear submarine visits in the 1970s and 80s with flotillas of "fizz boats" and kayaks. Interspersed are images of tohora (whales), dolphins and birds. The soundtrack mixes contemporary waiata by Aroha Yates-Smith with taonga pūoro (Māori instruments) performed by Richard Nunns.

The Peace Squadrons involved small, privately-owned vessels blockading New Zealand harbours, swarming around incoming nuclear warships to try to prevent them entering. This produced extensive media coverage — much of it sympathetic. The waterborne protests created iconic, David-vs-Goliath images and video footage of tiny, civil society protest vessels surrounding enormous US nuclear warships.

– Excerpt from an article about New Zealand's Peace Squadrons, Disarmament and Security Centre website

Key Cast & Crew

John Chrisstoffels

Cinematographer

Richard Nunns

Composer

Gaylene Barnes

Editor

Ian McDonald

Composer, Musical Director

Aroha Yates-Smith

Composer

Kathleen Gallagher

Director, Writer, Producer