What I learnt making a documentary about Aotearoas queer history [Video]

Harry Wynn, director and writer of TVNZ’s Queer Aotearoa: We’ve Always Been Here, reflects on making the groundbreaking documentary series.

The first seed of the idea for Queer Aotearoa came to me during a regular dog walk. I found myself wondering: “when did it become legal for adult men to have consensual relationships in New Zealand?” To my surprise, it was only in 1986 – six years before I was born. Even more shocking, it was only a year after I was born that it became illegal to deny someone a job or rental property because of their sexuality or gender identity. I had always imagined New Zealand as a progressive little utopia at the bottom of the world but, for queer people, progress came surprisingly late compared to places like the UK.

This moment on the dog walk felt like opening Pandora’s box. As someone who benefits from the …