A shot from the award-winning film Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers. Photo / Maori Television
A shot from the award-winning film Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers. Photo / Maori Television
A Rotorua-based waka crew member, who was part of a Maori Television screened film, is not surprised it received an award at the New York Film and Television Awards.
Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers took out a medal in the new documentary category of climate change andsustainability.
The film traces the two-year voyage of seven ocean-going, 22 metre (72 foot) waka as they traverse the Pacific Ocean, reviving the sailing and navigational brilliance of their ancestors.
Rotorua-based Patrick Mohi was one of the crew members on one of the waka and wasn't surprised the film won the award because it was something unique and interesting for both indigenous and non-indigenous people. "It's an old adventure in modern times."
He said the film was about ocean sustainability, the state of the Pacific, what people did and how it affected it. It highlighted the negative outcomes of people's ill-treatment of the ocean environment, he said.
Mr Mohi said the cameras filmed the day-to-day life of the voyage, but they had been mainly concerned about travelling over the ocean safely, portraying their message about ocean sustainability and wellbeing, and continuing their voyaging traditions.
"We knew it was going to be something awesome to watch because it was quite a unique perspective of the ocean environment."
He said Hinemoana, one of the key waka of the movie, was now with them at the Hawaiki Rising Voyage Trust.
