Children of the Mist (1974)

At one of their largest meeting houses [in Ruatoki] plans for establishing a pine forest are discussed: the affairs of the future dealt with in the manner of the past.

This NFU film visits the remote Urewera to explore the world of the Tūhoe people. Their independence and identity have been challenged by historical tensions with Pākehā, and now modernity — as ‘children of the mist’ leave for education and jobs (at the mill, in the city). A tribal outpost in Auckland is visited, along with law student James Milroy. At a Ruatoki festival the debate is whether young people should manage tribal affairs.

Production

New Zealand National Film Unit