NHNZ returns to local seas for Blue-Chip Ocean Series

NHNZ returns to local seas for first NZ Blue-Chip Ocean Series

In a first for New Zealand television, the stories of our local marine creatures are profiled in an NHNZ produced six part blue-chip series, Our Big Blue Backyard, premiering next week on TV1.

Our Big Blue Backyard presents an intimate portrayal of the daily dramas of New Zealand’s most charismatic ocean wildlife: highlights include a massive group of hunting orca in Northland Harbour, the truly unique fur seal nursery waterfall pool at Kaikoura, and Stewart Island’s pack of idiosyncratic white sharks.

“New Zealand has over 15,000 kilometres of coastline, and some 80% of New Zealand’s indigenous species are found in our coastal waters. While we are great at celebrating our native land species, Our Big Blue Backyard will bring the diverse and unique ocean creatures into the New Zealand story,” says series executive producer Judith Curran.

“I want our audience to look at the ocean and all the marine characters we introduce them to with new eyes. The series will highlight the intricacy and interconnectedness of the ocean ecosystem. Mess around with one aspect of it and there’s a ripple effect that impacts everything else.”

The six one-hour episodes narrated by Michael Hurst focus on Northland, Goat Island, Poor Knights Island, Kaikoura, Open Bay Islands and Stewart Island.

Funded by New Zealand on Air’s Platinum Fund, Our Big Blue Backyard premieres on TV ONE at 7:30PM on Sunday, 2nd November.

In conjunction with the television series, Random House has published an accompanying book: Our Big Blue Backyard: New Zealand's Oceans and Marine Reserves. Written by award-winning natural history writer Janet Hunt, it examines New Zealand's thirty-eight marine reserves and the need to protect and preserve our seas and foreshores in their natural state.

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