Program Category: People & Places

Humans have been in conflict with the marine environment for generations. It is no different in Malaysia’s Tun Sakaran Marine Park, off the eastern coast of Semporna, Sabah. Its coral reefs at the centre of marine biodiversity are at risk from a devastating crime wave – destructive fishing using home- made bombs.

Shahana (36) is scared, she is waiting with her colleagues for vaccination to be administered in her navel. Like her, 140 women from different corners of Bangladesh have gathered for training in the police academy before their deployment in Haiti as part of the UN peace keeping mission. In mid hour of the night, they board the flight for Haiti dreaming of a new dawn under a new sky. But what happens once they land in a foreign land thousand miles away from their beloved? How do they survive the longing for their home? How do they form new bonds to escape the loneliness?

There have been many documentaries on war and the story of the 28th Maori Battalion has been retold in different mediums by highly regarded historians. This is well and those records build an important archive for future generations.

Beyond the Battalion seeks to take a unique view and trace the steps of a young pakeha filmmaker who is taken under the wing of the Battalion and in particular Ned Nathan. Its follows this filmmaker through his camera and explores what it was like for the men who fought in the bloody conflicts and how it feels to be back 30 years later.

To many it may have looked like a Mediterranean cruise but there were deeper things at play that Michael did not understand at the time. This was a spiritual journey to heal and bring back the kawe mate of those that had been left on the battlefield.

So as we look to tomorrow Michael asks us all what have we learnt from the ravages of war. In Aotearoa we are fortunate to have geographical perspective that allows us to reflect and consider what those messages are. In the battlegrounds where the Sons of Tu Matauenga fought bravely sadly the war continues.

Emmy Award winner Baz Ashmawy (50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy) presents this compelling and entertaining 2-part personal journey into Islam – the faith of his late Egyptian father, into which he himself was born but which he has never really understood.

Even before the recent atrocities in Paris, Baz Ashmawy realised that to immerse himself in Islam wasn’t an obvious move, given this year’s horrific events. Even so, in the autumn of 2015, he decided that it was time to get to know the faith of his late father.

He wants to find out for himself about Islam and the ways the world sees it today. Through meetings, prayers, meals, discussions and interviews with Muslims in all places and of all ages. To them, Baz is much more than a journalist or presenter. He’s a Lost Muslim. He needs to be welcomed, taught and encouraged. But Islam is no spectator sport. You live it and Baz shows himself willing to do just that.

Robben Island, South Africa. Its most prominent prisoner: Nelson Mandela.

Asian Enigma is a landmark series, investigating and exploring supernatural and paranormal phenomenon across the Asian region.

Many children in Kashmir, some of whose fathers have been killed, arrested, or are missing, are forced to help their families survive. One such boy is Aadil, who lives with his parents in an area referred to as the “Gaza Strip” of Kashmir. He collects tear gas shells fired by police at protesters and sells them to a scrap dealer. Because the scrap dealer won’t accept the shells unless they are cleared of the explosive material, he must often remove the detonator and take out the explosives from the shells by hand. There is always the danger of it exploding, but as Aadil says, “I prefer to die bravely collecting shells rather than dying of hunger.”

An Engineered Dream follows the lives of four teenagers travelling from different corners of India to Kota, a coaching city where they cage themselves in cubicle-sized rooms in order to prepare for one of the toughest undergraduate engineering exams in the world with an acceptance rate of less than 1 percent.