What would happen if you traveled back in time, to live in New Zealand in the 1850s? A time when our Maori and European ancestors lived side by side ... a time without electricity, TV or even running water?
TV ONE's landmark new documentary series One Land transports three Kiwi families back in time to 1850s New Zealand, in a fascinating cultural and social experiment to see how modern families cope with the struggles of daily life in mid 19th Century New Zealand.
Our three families live off the land - One Land - for six weeks - two families of Maori ancestry live on a traditional Maori Pa, and the third Pakeha family live nearby as they would have done as European settlers in the 1850s.
On the Pa, the Ririnui family are deeply immersed in their culture and will only speak te Reo Maori. While in real life the Dalrymples live as a typical modern Kiwi family, in the series storyline they represent a family of mixed heritage immersing themselves in the ups and downs of life on a Maori Pa.
Our third family, the Smiths, will live as early settlers down hill from the Pa, arriving by tall ship to their new life, as their forebears did over 160 years ago.
The series brings New Zealand history to life, as each family struggles to adapt to life at a time when survival was very difficult and two very different cultures struggled to understand each other.
Through the three families, viewers will understand the difficulties and frustrations of a life without supermarkets, running water, not even the basics of modern day life.
And with one family speaking only te Reo Maori, the struggle to communicate with each other will be another obstacle to overcome.
Life in 19th Century Aotearoa is extensively documented in books and photographs, but how many of us REALLY appreciate what life was like? We're about to find out, as three 21st Century families attempt to live a 19th Century life with expert commentary throughout the series from historian Lyndon Fraser and Tikanga expert Amster Reedy.
