Maungaturoto rolls out the red carpet

 

Saturday night on July 6 saw the red carpet rolled out at the Otamatea Repertory Theatre for a premier screening of Maungaturoto –The Heart of the Kaipara.

Everyone knows that it is impossible to compress one-and-a-half centuries into one-and-a-half hours. But if a job requires doing the impossible then Maungaturoto is as good a place as any to start, and a better place than most, to ‘give it a go’.

Such was the daunting task facing Auckland-based film maker Dave Perrett when, at the request of The Maungaturoto 150th committee he agreed to produce, direct and edit a documentary about this quintessential kiwi town. Taking a leaf from the Maungaturoto book of work ethics, Dave, camera in hand, became a common sight around the town and surround-ing districts.

The self-proclaimed wise men of Wellington might comment that such things contrib-ute little to the economy. The Dargaville despots cry that historical issues must be put be-hind us and we should move forward. Naysayers and foot draggers could scratch their chins, shake their heads, throw their hands in the air and protest ‘it’s too much bother.’ These attitudes do not prevail in Maungaturoto where the difficult is done daily and the impossible achieved by arrangement.

The result is a beautifully crafted film that uses the people and the place of today as a wharf from which to launch excursions down the tributaries of the past – its triumphs and its tragedies. It depicts a proud history of hard work, good times and honest endeavour.

I’m biased of course because like just about everybody else around town I am in it, but it is the town that is the star. I attended the showing with a Waipuian who has a record of falling asleep during films and she remained riveted throughout.

I was considering making a recommendation to the committee that Dave be presented with the keys to the town as an honorary resident. But there aren’t any. As his film amply illustrates – the wealth of Maungaturoto lies in the land, its people and their attitude. These may in time be lost but they cannot be stolen so we do not lock them away. Instead, Dave Perrett made a film that celebrates such riches:

‘They’ll chafe and bicker, every one 
About how the committee’s run But in the end the job gets done
By the people of my home town.’

Much has changed in Maungaturoto in a hundred and fifty years, but the reward for a job well done remains the same. It is simply – a job well done.

Copies of the film are available on DVD in, you guessed it, Maungaturoto.

A film review by Prof Worzel

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