Film footage of Kauri history makes movies

Rare film footage of the early kauri industry, which has lain forgotten in archives for generations, has been compiled into a series of three DVD movies.
The DVDs, the work of Kiwi film-maker Tom Williamson, were launched at a premiere at the Kauri Museum at Matakohe last week and will remain permanently on display via five interactive television screens.
The Kauri Museum curator, Bet Nelley, says the interactive display is "a technological advance in telling the story of the past".
In his opening address, Speaker of the House Dr Lockwood Smith cited the movies as a "vital educational resource".
Kauri - The Timber tells the story of how the huge trees were felled in the bush and transported to the sawmills; Kauri - The Gum relates to working the swamps for gum - how it was collected and sold, while Kauri - Heart of the Forest, Soul of a Nation, depicts how the changes in attitude from that of ruthless timber extraction to the desire for protection occurred.
Mr Williamson said the idea of making the DVDs came about after he was commissioned by the Department of Conservation to make a video record of the work begun in 1999 to stabilise the driving dam on the Kaiarara stream on Great Barrier Island.
"The audience needed to know something about the early kauri logging days to know why driving dams were used at all, and therefore why it was important to preserve the best and largest surviving example of what was an uniquely New Zealand idea," said Mr Williamson.
"There were several important chunks of kauri history missing, so I approached the Kauri Museum. That led to searches in the national archives, Alexander Turnbull Library and National Film Unit and there I found material not seen for four and five generations."
Ms Nelley said the story of how the kauri was exploited was essential to understanding New Zealand's history.
She said while there were several books on the subject, the films taps into resources to present the story in a way never seen before.
The footage include interviews with survivors who worked during the last days of the tree felling, and with people involved in restoring the damage today. This offers very personal perspectives on the events of the last 150 years.
"These DVDs are hugely important. We cannot stop ... we have to be forever, researching and filling any gaps in the kauri story," said Ms Nelley.
She said for her the "film stars" were Northland people, Bruce Alexander and Milan Jurlina who are some of the last living people able to share the most amazing stories from those times.
The DVD is available from the Kauri Museum.