Maori Tele­vi­sion will screen the free-to-air pre­miere of Manurewa, an award-winning short film based on the 2008 mur­der of Manurewa liquor store owner Navtej Singh, at 10.30pm on Wai­t­angi Day, 6 Feb­ru­ary, 2012.

Maori Tele­vi­sion pro­ducer Michele Bris­tow says the Wai­t­angi Day pro­gram­ming is designed so that New Zealan­ders can watch some great shows as well as take a look at who they are.
 
“It’s about look­ing at our­selves, past, present and future,” she says. “And we do that through doc­u­men­taries, film and music.”

This year, view­ers can look for­ward to archival footage from Wai­t­angi Day 1934 in Nga Taonga Whiti­ahua, and find out about the peo­ple and places that helped shape New Zealand in Takahinga O Mua.

Flo­rian Habicht’s acclaimed doc­u­men­tary Kaikohe Demo­li­tion, about the fre­quent demo­li­tion der­bies held in the small North­land town, offers a more recent look at life in New Zealand, while Manurewa explores a sub­ject that con­tin­ues to cre­ate discussion.

On a lighter note, Sounds Like Us offers a musi­cal take on nation­hood. Musi­cians Ria Hall, who per­formed at the Rugby World Cup 2011 open­ing cer­e­mony, Auckland-based reg­gae band Three Houses Down, Adeaze, Jor­dan Luck, and Seth Haapu talk about how grow­ing up in New Zealand influ­enced their careers.

And for those who missed it dur­ing the Rugby World Cup, there is also an encore screen­ing of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa – A Gala Con­cert, which was held at Auckland’s Vec­tor Arena.