Making New Zealand

Hear the incredible stories of the people who built our nation from the ground up. Tonight's focus is road development, from rough early routes to multi-billion dollar motorway projects of today. Making New Zealand tells the incredible stories of the men and women who built our nation from the ground up. At its heart, it is the compelling tale of the blood, guts and glory it has taken to build our major infrastructure projects and communication networks: massive hydroelectric dams and power schemes; railways; roads and bridges; and ports and shipping. The stories acknowledge and celebrate those who took on the big challenges in a raw, remote country, and whose vision, ingenuity and hard work transformed the lives of many and created a modern-day nation. Each episode contains a captivating mix of present–day interviews and visuals, archive footage and stills, historical audio recordings, and enhanced graphics.

From a rickety start due to lack of funds and difficult geography, our rail journey has been filled with engineering marvels, including one of the world's highest rail viaducts, over the Mohaka gorge. Making New Zealand tells the incredible stories of the men and women who built our nation from the ground up. At its heart, it is the compelling tale of the blood, guts and glory it has taken to build our major infrastructure projects and communication networks: massive hydroelectric dams and power schemes; railways; roads and bridges; and ports and shipping. The stories acknowledge and celebrate those who took on the big challenges in a raw, remote country, and whose vision, ingenuity and hard work transformed the lives of many and created a modern-day nation. Each episode contains a captivating mix of present–day interviews and visuals, archive footage and stills, historical audio recordings, and enhanced graphics.

The illuminating history of our power industry is filled with technological enterprise, from electric power production to the DC link connecting the North and South Islands. Making New Zealand tells the incredible stories of the men and women who built our nation from the ground up. At its heart, it is the compelling tale of the blood, guts and glory it has taken to build our major infrastructure projects and communication networks: massive hydroelectric dams and power schemes; railways; roads and bridges; and ports and shipping. The stories acknowledge and celebrate those who took on the big challenges in a raw, remote country, and whose vision, ingenuity and hard work transformed the lives of many and created a modern-day nation. Each episode contains a captivating mix of present–day interviews and visuals, archive footage and stills, historical audio recordings, and enhanced graphics.

From the early days of Maori waka, to the development of refrigerated shipping and the 1968 Wahine disaster, our maritime history has been filled with challenges and triumphs.