Much Better Landscape; Low Marks For Compass

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31864, 17 December 1968, Page 18

Much Better Landscape; Low Marks For Compass

(By

Garry Arthur)

Final programmes in three New Zealand series were shown during the week—Compass, Landscape, and Looking at New Zealand. Compass took the plunge and crossed the Tasman, Looking at New Zealand was consistent, and Landscape redeemed itself. Of all the useful things the Compass team could have done in Australia, it chose to take a self-conscious look at the Australian’s opinion of us. The programme made the point that New Zealanders are unduly sensitive to criticism, and then proceeded to labour it.

Our image in Australia is important to trade and tourism, but the Compass programme did not show whether either of these were being affected significantly. Considering the cost of sending a team to Australia, the programme seemed a wasted effort—a display of the same sort of sensitivity that it had the Sydney columnist Ron Saw deriding. Tn its “Meat Hawks” programme about deer shooting. Landscape at last stirred | itself out of its pastoral contemplations to look at something controversial. I It has been a series in search of a formula, and now it has found it. There is perhaps some merit in soothing films of sheep droving—the sort of thing Landscape has done in the past—but the producers can hardly expect anyone to be stirred by them. In “Meat Hawks” the series used a tighter story line and had something to say. It did not offer an opinion, as Compass did so forthrightly in its programme about Paremoremo Prison, but it showed all the facts with stark frankness. There has been criticism in other centres of the ugly scenes of fleeing deer being mown down from the air. But there can be no valid criticism of the television producer for showing things as they are. He has a right—even a duty—to do so, and those who attack him for it are really saying “Here is something I’m opposed to, but I don’t want to know about it.”

I “Looking at New Zealand” i is so similar in concept to ■ “Landscape” that there would t hardly seem to be room for ’■both. It too roams the counI try looking for unusual facets > of New Zealand life, and t usually succeeds in adding to > our knowledge of ourselves. '■ In its last programme of t the series it inquired into ' the social problem of the geo- ■ graphic isolation of theTuhoe I people of the Urewera. The i programme looked at the i question from the points of • view of individuals affected : by the situation, and I felt i the cope of its inquiry could : ihave been broadened to 'bring in more facts.

programme, but it also tries to cover minority interests, follow up current events either by filling in the background or pursuing an issue, and—in Christchurch at least—contribute some light relief. A good omen for the future was seen last week in the Interview with the new Mayor of Christchurch (Mr A. R. Guthrey). Town and Around showed that it is prepared to take a close look at city administration under Mr Guthrey’s new broom, and the mayor showed a commendable willingness to submit bis opinions and actions to public scrutiny.