New Zealand TV viewers will be treated to documentaries and factual programmes on issues as diverse as the science of forensics, New Zealand’s obesity problem, housing affordability, bogans, and our social history through DNA following the latest NZ On Air funding decisions.
New Zealand’s longest running TV programme, and the second longest-running show in the world, Country Calendar will be back next year for its 50th year. The programme is frequently the highest rating programme NZ On Air funds, with more than half a million New Zealanders tuning in each Saturday night.
“We have a deep affection for Country Calendar which we’ve supported for 24 of the 25 years NZ On Air has been around. It is as purely Kiwi as it gets. These beautifully-crafted documentaries let our people of the land and sea, and our spectacular countryside, shine. We congratulate the Country Calendar team for engaging audiences with quality stories for half a century,” says Jane Wrightson Chief Executive of NZ On Air.
In other funding decisions, for audiences on Prime, Forensics: The Science Behind The Truth will show us how New Zealand forensic scientists solve real crimes. And still with science, The DNA Detectives on TV One will use cutting edge technology take a group of New Zealanders on an extraordinary journey deep into their history to discover who they are and where they come from.
A 10 part documentary series for TV2 on what it is to be a bogan, features Dr David Snell a published author and PhD scholar on the subject. A second documentary series for TV2 is The Big Ward. It will follow a number of obese people on the rollercoaster of confronting their health problem, and making drastic decisions to get control of their lives.
Viewers can also follow house buyers and the challenges they face as they try to enter the property market, with a new series for TV One, House Hunters.
Funding details
The DNA Detectives, 6 x 1 hr, Jam TV for TV One, $1,045,671
Forensics: The Science Behind The Truth, 6 x 1 hr, South Pacific Pictures for Prime, $1,019,124
House Hunters, 10 x 30 mins, Imagination Television for TV One, $686,799
The Big Ward, 10 x 30 mins, Greenstone TV for TV2, $433,996
Country Calendar, 30 x 30 mins, TVNZ for TV One, $425,036
Bogans Heroes, 10 x 30 mins, Workhouse for TV2, $321,902