In 1981 the New Zealand Film Archive was established as a charitable trust with the goal of preserving New Zealand’s increasingly fragile film heritage.

Later, in 2012-2014, the Film Archive amalgamated with the Television New Zealand Archive and became Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision.

Historical footage from their extensive collection feature in two key series highlighted below. These are available in our TV and Radio database.

The Way We Were

The Way We Were (1996), is a documentary series that looks at New Zealand during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s illustrated through film and storytelling.

• Watch the documentary series

Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua: Treasures from the Film Archive

This series (2010-2011) highlights some of Ngā Taonga’s footage of Māori tribal events and gatherings dating back to 1901.

• Watch rare historical footage in this series

Preservation challenges

Two news bulletins from the 1980s give a sense of the early years and the challenges the New Zealand Film Archive faced:

• Eyewitness News 5 October 1984 item 9
  Viewers get a rare glimpse of the 1901 Royal visit, as well as gaining an insight into the work of the New Zealand Film Archive.
• Top Half news bulletin 6 November 1984 item 6
  A report on the efforts of the New Zealand Film Archive to preserve pre-1952 footage before they decompose and become inaccessible.