Cameraman gains award for film feature

Press, 5 December 1988, Page 23

Cameraman gains award for film feature

By JANE ENGLAND A New Zealand cameraman now living in Australia has been awarded a television merit award for his work on a documentary featuring Maori lano rights and the Ngai Tahu claims.

Brent Crockett received the award from the Australian Cinematographer Society for camera work on the S.B.S. “Dateline” current affairs production. The film highlighted differing attitudes between Maori claimants living in the North Island and Ngai Tahu in the South. North Island interviewees said the Government could spark a civil war if it failed to settle Maori grievances. But the chairman of the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, Mr Tipene O’Regan, indicated that his tribe would keep seeking redress through the legal system. The three-person S.B.S. team followed the Ngai Tahu claims through a tour of Canterbury, the

Southern lakes and Mount Cook (Aoraki). The team consisted of Dateline’s producer-re-porter, Helen Vatsikopoulos, a sound-techni-cian, Tony Escott, and Mr Crockett. Another New Zealander, Helen Forbes, was employed as a researcher at the State-funded station, and accumulated background information for the programme. Ngai Tahu tribespeople had reported that they were impressed with the programme and the “unobtrusive” manner in which it was filmed. Mr Crockett had cause for another celebration, when his wedding was held in Melbourne soon after winning the award. “We are all really thrilled that Brent has won an award for all his hard work,” said Ms Vatsikopoulos.

She told “The Press” from Sydney that the film had been turned down by Television New Zealand, which frequently screens

“Dateline” productions through the New Zealand “Foreign Correspondent” programme.

“It was disappointing. But we were told that TVNZ was already doing its own “Frontline” programme on the claims.” The Ngai Tahu claims relating to Canterbury were also the subject of a TVNZ programme, "Faithfully Yours,” which featured audience discussions directed by Rodney Bryant. A Ngai Tahu kaumatua (elder) who declined to be named said yesterday that he was unhappy with the programme, which screened on Tuesday evening and would be continued next Tuesday.

The programme veered into a pre-emption of remedies for the claim. But the claim had yet to be assessed and remedies determined by the Waitangi Tribunal, he said.

The tribe would consider making an apology to the Waitangi Tribunal, he said.