Crofskey said each episode had a distinct theme and had a "hero artefact" which would feature at the beginning and the end of each episode.
"Throughout each episode, we trace the stories of several taonga that relate to the theme.
Some are in world-famous collections, others are in small local museums or are cared for by whanau," she said.
Thatcher features in the first episode, Star Travel, in which the history of Polynesian navigation and the old myth that Polynesians ended up in Aotearoa by chance is investigated.
Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times from Doubtless Bay in Northland, Thatcher said he was approached by Greenstone TV last year to be a part of the show.
He said it was important to showcase celestial navigating to the public and the work he did of teaching the next generation of navigators to safeguard and pass on the knowledge he had.
On the show, Thatcher talks about Pius "Mau" Piailug, a master navigator from Micronesia who taught him everything he knows about celestial navigating.
"For me, it's about keeping Mau's knowledge alive. He is the man who gave us the tools we need to trace our ancestral pathways," he said.
Bringing awareness to the importance of safeguarding the ocean is also a positive of being a part of the series.
During the episode, which was filmed in Tauranga Moana, Thatcher explains what it is like to "commune with the natural world".
"When you know that these winds are going to help you, when you see something on the horizon that might not be too good, but you prepare yourself for whatever's coming.
"And if you know how to prepare yourself then you'll know how to survive in the environment. It's a harsh environment but it's also a beautiful one," he said.
Thatcher, who had not seen the episode himself, said he was looking forward to seeing it air next week.
Artefact is a new six-part series made by Greenstone TV will launch on Maori TV on Monday at 8.30pm.
