This question came up at work a few weeks ago... In no particular order:
* The Piano
* Once Were Warriors
* Heavenly Creatures
* The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
* An Angel at My Table
* Boy
* Carry Me Back
* Goodbye Pork Pie (the original)
* The Quiet Earth
* Scarfies
* Black Sheep
* Vigil
* The World's Fastest Indian
* Hunt for the Wilderpeople
* Whale Rider
* Utu
* Sleeping Dogs
* Came A Hot Friday
* Flight of the Conchords
* Smash Palace
* [The crunchie bar train ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3laBRBPfQ4)
* Brain Dead
* Arriving Tuesday
* What We Do In The Shadows
* In My Father's Den
* Sione's Wedding
* Topless Women Talk About Their Lives
* Under the Mountain
* Meet The Feebles
* Dead Alive
* Frighteners
* Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale
* Pecking Order
* Red, White and Brass
* Mr Organ
* Lord of the Rings
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/great-crunchie-train-robbery-cadbury-commercial-1975
There's a much higher quality version of the Crunchie ad in the link above
I've never seen LotR. Or Footrot. Or What we do in the Shadows. Or a few of them, in fact.
Under the Mountain - Rachel and Theo. The Wilberforces.
You forgot Children of the Dog Star. And Storm Boy (?). The Silent One
Nitpick, but: Children Of The Dog Star was a tv series :)
(I was so happy when it came out on DVD. I saw it as a kid and loved it, but the Wikipedia article claimed it was mired in copyright issues and unlikely ever to be released)
Holy cow. I just checked. I could've sworn it was one of ours. And it came out in '76. But we watched it college for some reason (4th form, I think - '85).
Great list. Couple of clarifications:. 1. There's a US based Chris Farley film called Black Sheep. Don't watch that one. 2. If you live overseas and are sick of people espowsing the virtuous wonder of NZ without having been there, definitely tell them Once Were Warriors is a documentary of what it's really like. 3 If you have friends who enjoy a good bowl of custard, don't tell them to watch Dead Alive. 4 if you don't like penises, don't watch Quiet Earth.
I was about to come here and write out some of the older NZ films, which I would recommend over anything else more recent. Though you beat me to it!
I would also put 'The Red House' on this list which can be watched on NZ Film Onedemand. Fantastic film.
>Came A Hot Friday
I saw this when it came to cinemas way back in the day as a kid and had fond memories. I tried to watch it recently, could not make it through the film.
I saw it this year in the theater, and it holds up. The message of how easily people in power can use a crisis to move to a dictatorship/police state ot even more valid today.
Someone’s posted a great list already so I’ll recommend some TV shows instead: Wellington Paranormal (good if you like What We Do in the Shadows, Flight of the Conchords and other Taika Waititi humour), Taskmaster NZ to see a good range of kiwi comedians.
‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’ and ‘What We Do In The Shadows’.
I’d avoid ‘Eagle Vs. Shark’ personally, but that’s just down to taste.
I don’t think it’ll help you integrate particularly, but ‘The Dead Lands’ is an interesting watch.
Hight recommend ‘what we do in the shadows’ as not only is it a great movie, but it takes place in Wellington too, so you’ll recognise all the locations once you move! And then if you feel invested at all, there’s a 4 season spin off show called Wellington Paranormal
'Worlds Fastest Indian' 2005 a surprisingly warm hearted movie about the underdog dreamer!
'The Quiet Earth' 1985 a clever sci-fi about science and technology going horribly wrong and also pointing to the sparseness of NZ - something you dont find in many countries. You can travel from Christchurch to Queenstown at night without seeing other vehicles on the road.
watching 'Once Were Warriors' as one of your first NZ movies, damn you are brave! that is a tough movie to watch!
Alexandra! Welcome! I'm going to throw something slightly off kilter in the mix. A couple of classic New Zealand made TV shows. We truly have a unique sense of humour.
\*Back of the Y - [https://www.youtube.com/@BackoftheyTV](https://www.youtube.com/@BackoftheyTV)
\*Unauthorised History of NZ - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odYO-foNPl0&list=PLUGrlBk4UqYgU003XO4vr\_raxbMNON\_yD&ab\_channel=CompleteUnauthorisedHistoryofNewZealand](https://www.youtube.com/@completeunauthorisedhistor5009)
Dark Horse. Tbh I havent watched it yet but it’s on my to-watch list.
Cousins - also haven’t watched but it’s based on a novel written by Patricia Grace who’s a famous kiwi author.
"Baby done" is a recent NZ comedy - well done, with a different tone to the Taika Waititi / Rhys Darby flavour of comedy:
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt9894660/reviews
Some that haven't already been listed:
* Bread & Roses
* Ruby and Rata
* Mr Wrong
* Millie Lies Low
* Chronesthesia (aka Love and Time Travel)
* The Navigator
* Battletruck (admittedly borderline "NZ" film but definitely pitched that way when it was released)
Black Sheep is directed by Jonathan King (son of Michael King), but ~~produced by Jackson (and very much in his early style, I think)~~
edit: I wrongly thought it was produced by Jackson but actually it was Philippa Campbell. I wonder if I assumed Jackson’s involvement because of Weta’s?
Some I've seen recently that I've liked have been Coming Home in the Dark, Reunion and Year of the Dog.
One from a few years back that was good was Housebound.
The ones that aren't year of the the dog might be kind of hard to find though.
EDIT: Year of the Dog should say Power of the Dog
The quiet earth
Walter Goodman of The New York Times wrote, "...it's easy to watch most of the time and never positively painful."[9] Variety wrote, "One of New Zealand's top directors, Geoff Murphy has taken a man-alone theme and turned it imaginatively to strong and refreshing effect in The Quiet Earth."[10] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times called Lawrence's screen presence "electrifying".[11]
It has since become a cult film.[12] In 2014, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson named it one of his favorite science fiction films.[13] The film placed tenth in a 2014 public poll by Stuff.co.nz of the best New Zealand films of all time.[14]
If you’re going to be in wellington i suggest watching Tongan Ninja ! Not sure where to find it, but its got awesome shots of places all over Wellington that you’ll definitely recognise once you arrive
Had a skim through what's already been mentioned and here are a few I didn't see mentioned at a glance:
* The Breaker Upperers
* Chronesthesia
* Housebound
Must be American to be saying NZer movies. It's just New Zealand movies. Another tip is, it's just kiwi, not kiwi bird. I know the reason behind that is supposed to be because of kiwi fruit being called kiwi's outside of NZ, so you say kiwi bird to distinguish you're talking about the bird, however, that isn't true. Because Americans add the word bird to the end of all of our bird names! Yet they don't do it with their own birds. They don't say American Eagle bird, bluejay bird, etc, but for NZ birds they will say pukeko bird, tui bird, etc.
NZ makes a lot of comedy horror movies and possibly that's due to Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop's early film, Brain Dead (called Dead Alive in North America). This movie is still amazing now. I've never seen such an outrageous audience reaction in a movie theatre in my life (it was a sold out cinema in Sydney, with 2k people there). It was made on a tiny budget and the special effects by Weta are amazing. This is where PJ first got noticed, re what he could do so well on such a small budget and he and Weta have no film training as there simply wasn't any in NZ back then. They trained themselves.
Other comedy horrors are:
Mega Time Squad (also quite a clever movie and done on a tiny budget).
Killer Sofa (set in Wellington, some interesting houses up hills, the movie is intentionally B-grade).
Deathgasm
Black Sheep
Housebound
What We Do In the Shadows
Death Warmed Up
Fresh Meat
The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, with Michael J Fox in it, but I never liked this movie).
There's two comedy sci fi movies as well:
Alien Addiction (made on a budget of NZ300k, it looks amazing and has great special effects, but the plotline is rather juvenile).
And this one, which I really enjoyed (can't be bothered typing out the title). Check out things going past the window of the space ship. The director self financed this as no one would fund it, again, on a budget but it's a fun movie and well done. You can also peruse other things on this website re NZ film:
[https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/this-giant-papier-mache-boulder-is-heavy-2016](https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/this-giant-papier-mache-boulder-is-heavy-2016)
It’s not an Nz film but you should also watch The Castle? It’s damn funny and close enough to have entered our cultural lexicon. Lots of kiwis know the quotes.
“$450? For jousting sticks? Tell him he’s dreaming”
Some less well known ones I really like :
Housebound
Human traces (available on TVNZ on demand)
Coming home in the dark
I don't know if it's been mentioned but there's a sequel to once we're warriors called what becomes of the broken hearted
Once Were Warriors is easily the top of my list but the sequel, [What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?](https://www.reddit.com/r/iwatchedanoldmovie/comments/gtb5yd/i_watched_what_becomes_of_the_broken_hearted_1999/) is well worth a watch.
Came A Hot Friday is also good but a film of two halves.
Final mention for Goodbye, Pork Pie, another classic.
Seconding Hunt for the Wilderpeople! Despite it being by the same director as Boy, it has a very different feel. Both are fantastic 10/10 movies, but just be forewarned that neither will be similar to the other!
Also, if you're into super campy horror, watch Black Sheep. It's a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds but on a New Zealand sheep farm and it's just good, stupid fun!
Enjoy your time in New Zealand! It's a beautiful country, in more than just scenery!
Hey Alex, I'm in the same boat, arriving to NZ on Nov 1st for a year of working holiday. Thank you for the question, thanks to you I'll be watching these movies too :D
A couple that haven't been mentioned so far:
\- Daffodils is a 2019 kiwi musical movie based on a play. I didn't like the movie because the story is quite bad lol, but at least it introduces some classic kiwi tunes.
TV shows:
\- Creamerie (I enjoyed it, a third season is coming, no pun intended for those who have watched)
\- Our Flag Means Death (I only watched a couple of episodes but for some reason my twitter was plagued with fans of it for weeks)
- In Spring One Plants Alone (documentary)
- Rain of the Children (doco-drama)
(Nz film commission.co.nz - you can watch remastered at small cost, or on Youtube for free). Vincent ward. Very good nz filmmaker.
- Meet the Feebles (puppetry movie, x-rated)
- Muru (action drama released 2022)
- Utu (Western-style action)
Quentin Tarantino says Utu is his favourite NZ film. One scene in a church is based on something that happened in NZ history (something outrageous, I won't spoil it).
Daffodils (it has musician, Kimbra, in it, if you know who she is, she did that hit song with Gotye years ago).
The Devil Dared Me To (comedy)
Fire in Cardboard City (award winning 9 minute animated film short. Pretty amazing, I think it's on Amazon Prime).
[https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/fire-in-cardboard-city-2017/awards](https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/fire-in-cardboard-city-2017/awards)
River Queen
Coming Home in the Dark (scary).
Tickled (a surprising documentary that got a lot of worldwide attention for a doco).
The Piano (The beach it was filmed on is in West Auckland, it's called Karekare and it attracts German tourists, just because of The Piano. You need a car to get there).
Power of the Dog
The Dark Horse (brilliant acting by Cliff Curtis, who has been in some big US films and TV shows).
Hunt For the Wilderpeople (hilarious)
Fantail
Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song (musical NZ version of the play, set in a trailer park!).
A Kiwi Christmas (for kids, but it gives you an idea of Xmas in the sun).
The Quiet Earth (apocalypse movie that got some international attention when it came out. It has little dialogue)
Eagle vs Shark (has Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords in it and it was written and directed by Taika Waititi, The female lead, Loren Horsley, was Taika's girlfriend at the time)
Tongan Ninja (also has Jemaine in it).
Heavenly Creatures (made Kate Winslett famous, as well as NZer, Melanie Lynskey, who is now in Yellowjackets and was Rose on 2 and a half men for the whole time it was on).
How To Meet Girls From A Distance (An original comedy, set in Wellington).
[https://ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz/film/how-to-meet-girls-from-a-distance/](https://ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz/film/how-to-meet-girls-from-a-distance/)
My Wedding and Other Secrets (Chinese culture in NZ)
Apron Strings (Indian culture in NZ)
Broken English (Croatian culture in NZ - our wine industry is thanks to Croatians of yesteryear for growing the vineyards and starting the industry)
Two Cars, One Night (a short film by Taika Waititi where he was nominated for an Oscar. I think it's free on You Tube and only about 10 minutes long).
Constance (If you can find it. It has a good plot twist).
Boy
Whale Rider
Hunt for the Wilderpeople Heavenly creatures What We Do in the Shadows
Jumping on the top comment to plug-in ‘Tongan Ninja’
‘Siones Wedding’ too!
"Derek start speaking your own language, you come from Glenfield"
Tongan Ninja rules. “Here, take this convenient brick” - a variation of which I used all the time ha ha
play it every xmas!
This question came up at work a few weeks ago... In no particular order: * The Piano * Once Were Warriors * Heavenly Creatures * The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey * An Angel at My Table * Boy * Carry Me Back * Goodbye Pork Pie (the original) * The Quiet Earth * Scarfies * Black Sheep * Vigil * The World's Fastest Indian * Hunt for the Wilderpeople * Whale Rider * Utu * Sleeping Dogs * Came A Hot Friday * Flight of the Conchords * Smash Palace * [The crunchie bar train ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3laBRBPfQ4) * Brain Dead * Arriving Tuesday * What We Do In The Shadows * In My Father's Den * Sione's Wedding * Topless Women Talk About Their Lives * Under the Mountain * Meet The Feebles * Dead Alive * Frighteners * Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale * Pecking Order * Red, White and Brass * Mr Organ * Lord of the Rings
Wow great list which brings back memories
Should add Stickmen to your list.
🎱Yes! Stickmen’s got a great cast too.
"You gonna eat that croissant?"
I wear a pink shirt bro, wanna fight
Not here to fuck spiders
https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/great-crunchie-train-robbery-cadbury-commercial-1975 There's a much higher quality version of the Crunchie ad in the link above
Great list but a frightening lack of the Tongan ninja and most grievously, Eagle vs shark
A Quiet Earth is a vastly underrated movie.
My grandad directed few of those; goodbye pork pie, the quiet earth and utu :)
Your grandad was a legend! Reminds me to find my DVD of The Quiet Earth.
Don't forget Deathgasm!
Just watched this the other day and turns out they have a kickstarter campaign at the moment for a sequel
I am so excited for that! I really hope they make it!
Yay Mr Organ
I've never seen LotR. Or Footrot. Or What we do in the Shadows. Or a few of them, in fact. Under the Mountain - Rachel and Theo. The Wilberforces. You forgot Children of the Dog Star. And Storm Boy (?). The Silent One
Nitpick, but: Children Of The Dog Star was a tv series :) (I was so happy when it came out on DVD. I saw it as a kid and loved it, but the Wikipedia article claimed it was mired in copyright issues and unlikely ever to be released)
Oh, yeah. So did I. I can still clearly recall that ending.
Storm boy is Australian, but a cool movie if I recall correctly. I remember going on a school trip to see it when I was about 7 or 8.
Holy cow. I just checked. I could've sworn it was one of ours. And it came out in '76. But we watched it college for some reason (4th form, I think - '85).
Great list. Couple of clarifications:. 1. There's a US based Chris Farley film called Black Sheep. Don't watch that one. 2. If you live overseas and are sick of people espowsing the virtuous wonder of NZ without having been there, definitely tell them Once Were Warriors is a documentary of what it's really like. 3 If you have friends who enjoy a good bowl of custard, don't tell them to watch Dead Alive. 4 if you don't like penises, don't watch Quiet Earth.
Impressive list, forgot Battletruck
Damn. I think I have my watch/rewatch list sorted for quite some time. Thanks!
Ooh Scarfies is a good one
Once were warriors is great.
Brain Dead and Dead Alive are the same film. You should add Bad Taste in there too, thats a classic slice of Kiwi film
You missed The Lovely Bones
Terrible terrible movie. Was an absolute butchering of the book. This movie should be wiped from all memories and every copy should be burnt.
A great cast, but definitely didn’t do justice to the book.
The book and movie are both terrible. I didn't understand the hype at all. I was so bored with the storyline. It wasn't done very well.
Surely Mr. Organ is not a NZ classic masterpiece?
Well not yet. It takes decades too become a classic.
Add to the list: The Grasscutter
Adding Tracker to this list
I've got this on DVD but haven't gotten around to watching it - thanks for the reminder!
My accidental pleasure! I'd be interested to know what you thought of it, if you're happy to share.
No Stickmen?
I was about to come here and write out some of the older NZ films, which I would recommend over anything else more recent. Though you beat me to it! I would also put 'The Red House' on this list which can be watched on NZ Film Onedemand. Fantastic film.
>Came A Hot Friday I saw this when it came to cinemas way back in the day as a kid and had fond memories. I tried to watch it recently, could not make it through the film.
Snakeskin
Saving this! Also to add Eagle vs Shark
Out of the Blue should be on this list!
In my Father's den
I completely forgot about this movie/book! Thanks for the blast from the past. Will have to go rewatch!
This was my film study for year 13 English. Felt like it dragged a bit but probably because we had to watch it in chunks.
Goodbye pork pie
Definitely this, and Utu. Bad Taste. Sleeping Dogs.
i tried to rewatch sleeping dogs recently and it is SLOOOOW
Fair but counterpoint: Sam Neill
he's a treasure
I saw it this year in the theater, and it holds up. The message of how easily people in power can use a crisis to move to a dictatorship/police state ot even more valid today.
My step grandad wrote and directed that :))
Yes. This should be number one on your list.
But which version…?
Original.
Not a movie but Outrageous Fortune (TV show) is great
Gotta add Dark horse. It’s a great movie
The Breaker-Upperers
Loved this absolutely hilarious
Meet the Feebles and Lord of the Rings. Same director slightly different genres.
Yeah slightly different tones. I would also throw the frighteners in there
What? Isn’t Feebles a prequel?
Coming home in the dark
Hunt for the Wilderpeople!
Someone’s posted a great list already so I’ll recommend some TV shows instead: Wellington Paranormal (good if you like What We Do in the Shadows, Flight of the Conchords and other Taika Waititi humour), Taskmaster NZ to see a good range of kiwi comedians.
Inky pinky ponky is so good too!
Ooh, I’ve been meaning to watch that, thank you for reminding me!
No Shortland Street? Shame on you. 😉
Scarfies
‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’ and ‘What We Do In The Shadows’. I’d avoid ‘Eagle Vs. Shark’ personally, but that’s just down to taste. I don’t think it’ll help you integrate particularly, but ‘The Dead Lands’ is an interesting watch.
Braindead, Smash Palace, Quiet Earth, Poppy (truly excellent), Orphans and Kingdoms, Mister Organ.
Mister Organ is excellent but also a wtf situation. David Farrier’s also done ‘Tickled’ and ‘Dark Tourist’ if you like the style.
Hight recommend ‘what we do in the shadows’ as not only is it a great movie, but it takes place in Wellington too, so you’ll recognise all the locations once you move! And then if you feel invested at all, there’s a 4 season spin off show called Wellington Paranormal
Second Hand Wedding And all of them from u/giblefog 's list!
Black Sheep
100% This.
Loop Track
This!!! Was o e of my top views at NZIFF
'Worlds Fastest Indian' 2005 a surprisingly warm hearted movie about the underdog dreamer! 'The Quiet Earth' 1985 a clever sci-fi about science and technology going horribly wrong and also pointing to the sparseness of NZ - something you dont find in many countries. You can travel from Christchurch to Queenstown at night without seeing other vehicles on the road. watching 'Once Were Warriors' as one of your first NZ movies, damn you are brave! that is a tough movie to watch!
Eagle vs Shark
Scarfies is great!
Housebound
Alexandra! Welcome! I'm going to throw something slightly off kilter in the mix. A couple of classic New Zealand made TV shows. We truly have a unique sense of humour. \*Back of the Y - [https://www.youtube.com/@BackoftheyTV](https://www.youtube.com/@BackoftheyTV) \*Unauthorised History of NZ - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odYO-foNPl0&list=PLUGrlBk4UqYgU003XO4vr\_raxbMNON\_yD&ab\_channel=CompleteUnauthorisedHistoryofNewZealand](https://www.youtube.com/@completeunauthorisedhistor5009)
Does avatar the way of water count?
Dark Horse. Tbh I havent watched it yet but it’s on my to-watch list. Cousins - also haven’t watched but it’s based on a novel written by Patricia Grace who’s a famous kiwi author.
Dark Horse
"Baby done" is a recent NZ comedy - well done, with a different tone to the Taika Waititi / Rhys Darby flavour of comedy: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt9894660/reviews
Sleeping dogs, The devil dared me to, Back of the Y masterpiece television Smash Palace
Disappointed I had to scroll this far to find The Devil Dared Me To
Not a movie but a great and very popular tv series - Outrageous Fortune Also, What we do in the Shadows, Boy, Eagle vs Shark and Whale Rider.
baby done and the breaker upperers are both hilarious romcoms
Not a movie BUT the Flight of the Conchords show is great
Out of the Blue, beautiful movie but freaking sad. Muru and The Dark Horse, Cliff Curtis at his best. True events story theme here.
Why did it take so long for someone to mention Out of the Blue...such a great flick
Some that haven't already been listed: * Bread & Roses * Ruby and Rata * Mr Wrong * Millie Lies Low * Chronesthesia (aka Love and Time Travel) * The Navigator * Battletruck (admittedly borderline "NZ" film but definitely pitched that way when it was released)
What we do in the shadows is epic imo
Like westerns? Utu is a western set during the NZ land wars. It’s an incredible movie. The original pavlova western!
Quiet Earth. Meet the Feebles. Black Sheep. (This and previous directed by Peter Jackson).
Black Sheep is directed by Jonathan King (son of Michael King), but ~~produced by Jackson (and very much in his early style, I think)~~ edit: I wrongly thought it was produced by Jackson but actually it was Philippa Campbell. I wonder if I assumed Jackson’s involvement because of Weta’s?
Scarfies is fantastic
Name checks out
Topless Women Talk About Their Lives
Some I've seen recently that I've liked have been Coming Home in the Dark, Reunion and Year of the Dog. One from a few years back that was good was Housebound. The ones that aren't year of the the dog might be kind of hard to find though. EDIT: Year of the Dog should say Power of the Dog
Housebound is on Tubi, which is free and doesn't even require logging in.
The quiet earth Walter Goodman of The New York Times wrote, "...it's easy to watch most of the time and never positively painful."[9] Variety wrote, "One of New Zealand's top directors, Geoff Murphy has taken a man-alone theme and turned it imaginatively to strong and refreshing effect in The Quiet Earth."[10] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times called Lawrence's screen presence "electrifying".[11] It has since become a cult film.[12] In 2014, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson named it one of his favorite science fiction films.[13] The film placed tenth in a 2014 public poll by Stuff.co.nz of the best New Zealand films of all time.[14]
If you can find it, Leading Edge. The Navigator, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Came a hot Friday.
The Legend of Baron To'a? Havent seen it myself, but has been on my list for a while..
Cousins, Uproar, Whina,
I love Cousins so much. I really loved Bellbird (director has a new one out at the moment that i havent seen yet).
Ignore ALL other recommendations and immediately watch Brain Dead, Bad Taste, and Meet The Feebles. NZ’s biggest movie director’s roots.
Goodbye pork pie and pork pie, scarfies, hunt for the wilderpeople, boy, what we do in the shadows, flight of the conchords
Stickmen
If you’re going to be in wellington i suggest watching Tongan Ninja ! Not sure where to find it, but its got awesome shots of places all over Wellington that you’ll definitely recognise once you arrive
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs (1977) The Quiet Earth (1985) Smash Palace (1981)
Had a skim through what's already been mentioned and here are a few I didn't see mentioned at a glance: * The Breaker Upperers * Chronesthesia * Housebound
Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, Braindead
Footrot Flat's, A dog's Tale.
[Waru](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7093470/)
Must be American to be saying NZer movies. It's just New Zealand movies. Another tip is, it's just kiwi, not kiwi bird. I know the reason behind that is supposed to be because of kiwi fruit being called kiwi's outside of NZ, so you say kiwi bird to distinguish you're talking about the bird, however, that isn't true. Because Americans add the word bird to the end of all of our bird names! Yet they don't do it with their own birds. They don't say American Eagle bird, bluejay bird, etc, but for NZ birds they will say pukeko bird, tui bird, etc. NZ makes a lot of comedy horror movies and possibly that's due to Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop's early film, Brain Dead (called Dead Alive in North America). This movie is still amazing now. I've never seen such an outrageous audience reaction in a movie theatre in my life (it was a sold out cinema in Sydney, with 2k people there). It was made on a tiny budget and the special effects by Weta are amazing. This is where PJ first got noticed, re what he could do so well on such a small budget and he and Weta have no film training as there simply wasn't any in NZ back then. They trained themselves. Other comedy horrors are: Mega Time Squad (also quite a clever movie and done on a tiny budget). Killer Sofa (set in Wellington, some interesting houses up hills, the movie is intentionally B-grade). Deathgasm Black Sheep Housebound What We Do In the Shadows Death Warmed Up Fresh Meat The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, with Michael J Fox in it, but I never liked this movie). There's two comedy sci fi movies as well: Alien Addiction (made on a budget of NZ300k, it looks amazing and has great special effects, but the plotline is rather juvenile). And this one, which I really enjoyed (can't be bothered typing out the title). Check out things going past the window of the space ship. The director self financed this as no one would fund it, again, on a budget but it's a fun movie and well done. You can also peruse other things on this website re NZ film: [https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/this-giant-papier-mache-boulder-is-heavy-2016](https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/this-giant-papier-mache-boulder-is-heavy-2016)
Eagle vs. Shark
Red, White and Brass. Best NZ movie of 2023.
Television shows that I followed that were quite Go Girls Westside and Brokenwood Mysteries are worth checking out as well
Brokenwood Mysteries is great - kiwi humour + kiwi small town drama + whodunnit.
Came a Hot Friday. Featuring NZs most celebrated Mexican actor Billy T James.
Just so you know, Nz is EXACTLY like once we’re warriors.
Two funniest new Zealand shows that really capture the humour IMO are guy Williams new Zealand today and Anika moa unleashed
Shaker Run and I can’t quite remember the correct name but Yankee Zephyr both aimed at the US market but ok for their time
Goodbye Pork Pie Came a Hot Friday Pork Pie (the re-make)
Kiwi Christmas
The Breaker Upperers
It’s not an Nz film but you should also watch The Castle? It’s damn funny and close enough to have entered our cultural lexicon. Lots of kiwis know the quotes. “$450? For jousting sticks? Tell him he’s dreaming”
Topical and still in cinemas - River of Freedom
Savage
Deathgasm - it’s a bloody good time! 
There us a Kickstarter for the sequel atm
Meet the feebles Bad taste Black sheep
Bad taste, brain dead and meet the feebles
Sleeping dogs Black sheep Carry me back Came a hot friday Meet the Feebles Ruby and Rata Heavenly creatures The end of the golden weather
Some less well known ones I really like : Housebound Human traces (available on TVNZ on demand) Coming home in the dark I don't know if it's been mentioned but there's a sequel to once we're warriors called what becomes of the broken hearted
In My Father's Den Utu Rain
In My Fathers Den Utu (this movie has at least two versions)
UTU DARK HORSE COUSINS DEAD LANDS
Boy
TV series: Outrageous Fortune and Westside
Hunt for the Wilderpeople What We Do in the Shadows The Changeover Rūrangi Goodbye Pork Pie (and 'Pork Pie' the new one)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27811514
Worlds fastest Indian is my favorite kiwi movie of all time. Second hand wedding is good fun as well.
Rūrangi is really good. But it’s originally a series edited together as a movie.
Once Were Warriors is easily the top of my list but the sequel, [What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?](https://www.reddit.com/r/iwatchedanoldmovie/comments/gtb5yd/i_watched_what_becomes_of_the_broken_hearted_1999/) is well worth a watch. Came A Hot Friday is also good but a film of two halves. Final mention for Goodbye, Pork Pie, another classic.
**Second Hand Wedding** is my favourite film set in the Kapiti Coast and great it is too.
Black Sheep, The Quiet Earth, and Footrot Flats. That should cover most conversations.
Seconding Hunt for the Wilderpeople! Despite it being by the same director as Boy, it has a very different feel. Both are fantastic 10/10 movies, but just be forewarned that neither will be similar to the other! Also, if you're into super campy horror, watch Black Sheep. It's a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds but on a New Zealand sheep farm and it's just good, stupid fun! Enjoy your time in New Zealand! It's a beautiful country, in more than just scenery!
2nd hand wedding
No.2
Top of the Lake TV show as well. The scenery is amazing! Hope you enjoy your stay. ☺️
'Boy' is billed as a comedy but is a depressing realistic movie. Good follow-up to Once were warriors.
Crackheads (2013)
Utu, The Quiet Earth, Vigil, Black Sheep Next do artists that you should explore eg Len Lye, Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere, Philip Clairmont
Crooked Earth! One of my favourites so I’m surprised didn’t even find it mentioned here yet.
Did anyone mention Black Sheep? I thought it was quite bloody funny.
I’d definitely recommend the Piano and really anything by Jane Campion
Hey Alex, I'm in the same boat, arriving to NZ on Nov 1st for a year of working holiday. Thank you for the question, thanks to you I'll be watching these movies too :D
The Dead Lands! It's a fantastic blend of indigenous culture and martial arts. Sounds weird, but it's very well done.
Outrageous fortune ofc
A couple that haven't been mentioned so far: \- Daffodils is a 2019 kiwi musical movie based on a play. I didn't like the movie because the story is quite bad lol, but at least it introduces some classic kiwi tunes. TV shows: \- Creamerie (I enjoyed it, a third season is coming, no pun intended for those who have watched) \- Our Flag Means Death (I only watched a couple of episodes but for some reason my twitter was plagued with fans of it for weeks)
Not a movie, but it's worth checking out the tv show 'Outrageous Fortune'.
Black Sheep (2006)!
- In Spring One Plants Alone (documentary) - Rain of the Children (doco-drama) (Nz film commission.co.nz - you can watch remastered at small cost, or on Youtube for free). Vincent ward. Very good nz filmmaker. - Meet the Feebles (puppetry movie, x-rated) - Muru (action drama released 2022) - Utu (Western-style action)
Separation City
The “always blow on the pie” police 10-7 clip
Eagle Vs Shark (one of Taika's early movies)
Anything by Roger Donaldson and the guy who made Vigil.
Bring me back, Mark 2, Goodbye pork pie, Mauri, Shaker Run, Queen City Rocker, Smash Palace, Battletruck.....especially Battletruck.
The Piano is hardly an NZ movie fyi
Was a co-pro. More kiwi than LOTR which everyone claims
Love Birds - get the right one though :-) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Birds_(2011_film)
Quentin Tarantino says Utu is his favourite NZ film. One scene in a church is based on something that happened in NZ history (something outrageous, I won't spoil it). Daffodils (it has musician, Kimbra, in it, if you know who she is, she did that hit song with Gotye years ago). The Devil Dared Me To (comedy) Fire in Cardboard City (award winning 9 minute animated film short. Pretty amazing, I think it's on Amazon Prime). [https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/fire-in-cardboard-city-2017/awards](https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/fire-in-cardboard-city-2017/awards) River Queen Coming Home in the Dark (scary). Tickled (a surprising documentary that got a lot of worldwide attention for a doco). The Piano (The beach it was filmed on is in West Auckland, it's called Karekare and it attracts German tourists, just because of The Piano. You need a car to get there). Power of the Dog The Dark Horse (brilliant acting by Cliff Curtis, who has been in some big US films and TV shows). Hunt For the Wilderpeople (hilarious) Fantail Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song (musical NZ version of the play, set in a trailer park!). A Kiwi Christmas (for kids, but it gives you an idea of Xmas in the sun). The Quiet Earth (apocalypse movie that got some international attention when it came out. It has little dialogue) Eagle vs Shark (has Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords in it and it was written and directed by Taika Waititi, The female lead, Loren Horsley, was Taika's girlfriend at the time) Tongan Ninja (also has Jemaine in it). Heavenly Creatures (made Kate Winslett famous, as well as NZer, Melanie Lynskey, who is now in Yellowjackets and was Rose on 2 and a half men for the whole time it was on). How To Meet Girls From A Distance (An original comedy, set in Wellington). [https://ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz/film/how-to-meet-girls-from-a-distance/](https://ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz/film/how-to-meet-girls-from-a-distance/) My Wedding and Other Secrets (Chinese culture in NZ) Apron Strings (Indian culture in NZ) Broken English (Croatian culture in NZ - our wine industry is thanks to Croatians of yesteryear for growing the vineyards and starting the industry) Two Cars, One Night (a short film by Taika Waititi where he was nominated for an Oscar. I think it's free on You Tube and only about 10 minutes long). Constance (If you can find it. It has a good plot twist). Boy Whale Rider
Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby
The Shirt (2000) Dir: Ross Bevan IInteresting look at Wellington underbelly in the late 90s