Praise for the warmth of Tuhoe

The opening of Te Uru Taumatua whare last year. Photo / Ana Dermer

A filmmaker is praising the hospitality and warm welcome she received while spending three years with Ngai Tuhoe.

Sarah Grohnert has released her first feature film, Ever the Land, which premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival. The observational documentary followed the planning and construction of Te Uru Taumatua whare (House of Learning) in Taneatua. The film is now screening throughout the Bay of Plenty.

Ms Grohnert said the film narrative wanted to pay homage to the late master of New Zealand architecture, Ivan Mercep of Jasmax, while telling the story of a building built by Tuhoe. It was the Southern Hemisphere's first living building constructed to meet the Living Building Challenge (LBC) criteria. The LBC aimed to build regenerative environmental design and buildings with a focus on site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty.

"I was there on and off for about two-and-a-half years and during construction, three to four weeks at a time. I would stay with locals, it helped find those moments to capture that you really can't plan," she said. "I'm a one-woman band, I did the camera and sound work. I only had wonderful experiences, the [Ngai Tuhoe] people were very warm and welcoming that someone had to come to listen to them and their stories."

Ms Grohnert said she was out of the country during the police raids in Ruatoki in 2007. She captured the historic moment in 2014 Te Uruwera, Tuhoe's ancestral homelands, were returned along with an official apology from the Government.

"I knew nothing about what happened to Tuhoe, I have to say I made a point of not doing that, but I think it benefited going into filming with an open mind," she said.

"There's no other way but saying what a fortunate alignment it was for the film that Tuhoe achieved their historic settlement with the Government over the same period that the building was being built. The legal return of Te Urewera to Tuhoe as well as the moving apology spoken by the Ministry of Treaty Negotiations in the film echoes through every room and fibre of that building. It is a building of new beginnings.

"Being able to capture all the different layers that are there, to really capture the sense of place, to really give people and landmarks a voice of who Tuhoe are, that's something I'm fairly proud of."

Ever the Land has been accepted into international film festivals in Vancouver, New York at the American Museum of Natural History and Hawaii.

For specific times and dates to be screened in the Bay of Plenty, go to www.flicks.co.nz/movie/ever-the-land/.