500 Massages For Scots In N.Z.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31053, 7 May 1966, Page 23

500 Massages For Scots In N.Z.

The first problem which had to be resolved for Mr D. Batey, an executive producer of Border Television from Carlisle, England, who Is filming a series of programmes on New Zealand for his company, was how to avoid having to provide more than 500 massages for Scottish Immigrants to this country.

"When I knew I was coming to New Zealand to do this series, I told my viewers that I would be away for about a month,” Mr Batey said in Christchurch. “I made a casual reference to New Zealand, and in the next mail I had more than 500 requests from folk who had relatives in New Zealand to look up these relatives and deliver a message to them. The local paper got hold of this story, but unfortunately made a misprint in the next day’s edition. They reported that I had 500 massages to deliver in New Zealand. I haven’t lived it down since.”

Mr Batey is working with the New Zealand Film Unit while he is here. His trip and programme has been sponsored by the New Zealand

Tourist and Publicity Department The material he produces will appear in a fortnightly series devoted entirely to New Zealand. As well as a halfhour feature for 10 nights. Border Television will use about four films already produced by the National Film Unit Mr Batey said that the programme called "Look Around,” was watched by almost a million viewers, and as it would be distributed through the rest of Great Britain after the south of Scotland, it would eventually reach a great many more. "We hope that we can arrange for a New Zealand television personality to introduce the series at home,” Mr Batey said. "Many of the items in the programme will be of tremendous interest to people in the United Kingdom. We have tried to present those things which link our countries together in a mutual bond.

“When we were in Dimedin, we had a look at the experiences of the Scottish immigrants, and the reaction of the man in the street to the idea of being associated with

Scotland. We got quite a

humorous result. "Quite a number of those to whom we spoke said there were far too many Scots there already, and the rest should pack up and go home. Others said they would be glad to see many more Scotsmen come out and provide a bit more of the atmosphere of the old country. If you ask me they* got the best of both worlds.” One aspect of New Zealand life which is receiving the filming team's close attention is wool. “This is the main item of economy in the Borders,” Mr Batey said. “Our people will

be particularly interested in this aspect: of life here. The most important activity is Rugby. All the best “Lions” come front; the Borders. This is another link which binds us together."