TV show filmed in Northland to be beamed into 45 million homes

Make-A-Wish dad Paul Marquardt is interviewed at the Waitangi Mountain Bike Park pump track last August for the TV series Adventure All Stars, which will be screened in 21 countries.

By Matthew Scott

Scenes of Northland will be beamed into 45 million homes around the world early next year, after an international broadcast deal for a locally filmed show.

Adventure All Stars is a charity-focused travel television series in which a group of people are set to raise funds for a charity and then rewarded with a six-day adventure to a secret location.

In August of last year, the cast and crew spent five days filming an episode from Cape Reinga to the Kaipara Harbour, showcasing the sights and sounds of Northland.

The series, including the Northland episode, will be broadcast as a deal with Outdoor Entertainment Network across 21 countries in the first quarter of next year, including Australia, India, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand.

The show was created by Charity TV Global, a production company that seeks to combine television with philanthropy.

"This exciting global television deal is testament to the commitment of our hard-working team who create entertaining television content that also gives back to a multitude of community initiatives and charities," said Troy Gray, the founder of the company.

He said Northland "encompasses natural wonders, contrasting coastlines and action-packed activities".

The six cast members of the Northland episode each raised money for Make-A-Wish Foundation New Zealand, a charity that fulfils the wishes of young Kiwis with terminal illnesses.

The charity has more than 140 volunteers in New Zealand and grants more than 150 wishes a year.

During the philanthropists' subsequent adventure in the Winterless North, the cast experienced kapa haka, sandboarding, parasailing, mountain biking and jet skiing.

Gray said the deal "will firmly put New Zealand and its iconic destinations ... on the world map".

The episode, hosted by New Zealand television personality Erin Simpson, is titled Northland – The birthplace of New Zealand.

The series will be available for viewing on TVNZ On Demand early next year, with the exact date to be confirmed.

Other episodes will feature the attractions and activities of Rotorua, Queenstown and Christchurch.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was established in 1980 in the United States by Linda Bergendahl-Pauling after her son's wish to be a patrolman was granted for a day, shortly before he died from leukaemia.