The Governor 4 - He Iwi Ko Tahi Tatou / Now We Are One People (Episode Four)

Television (Full Length Episode) – 1977

In The Governor's fourth episode, war looms in the Waikato as Māori iwi band together. Peacemaker and kingmaker Wiremu Tāmihana (Don Selwyn) agonises over the right course of action. This episode was a notable bicultural flagbearer in terms of drawing on Māori knowledge and oral history, and featuring extensive te reo. It follows key events from the early 1830s to 1863, leading to the investiture of the first Māori King. Discussions between historical figures like Te Wherowhero, Rewi Maniapoto and Te Heuheu are dramatised; motivations are revealed, and lines drawn. The episode won a Feltex Award for Best Script.

It has made Māori matter. If Pākehās now have a better understanding for the Māori point of view; if the Māori, particularly the younger generation, now have a pride in their race, it stems from The Governor. Now, do you measure that in dollars?
– Auckland Star reviewer Barry Shaw on The Governor, 7 November 1977, page 6