The Spinoff writers on what you should pop on your watchlist ahead of the long weekend.
Matariki mā Puanga 2025 (Whakaata Māori, TVNZ+)
Cosy up with a cuppa and a warm blanket to watch the Matariki celebrations beamed straight into your living room from 5.45am Friday, June 20. The mammoth five hour broadcast begins at dawn with a traditional hautapu ceremony at Tirorangi Marae in Ohakune, with hosts Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) and Mātai Smith (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri) inviting everyone across Aotearoa to explore the old traditions of Matariki – and create some new ones of their own. / Alex Casey
Land of the Long White Cloud (TVNZ+)
If you need an injection of Northland sand, surf and sun over the chilly weekend, not to mention some much-needed crack-up yarns, I highly recommend Florian Habicht’s 2009 documentary Land of the Long White Cloud. Centred around the annual Snapper Classic fishing contest on Ninety Mile Beach, Habicht meets the competitors vying for the whopper $50,000 prize. But this is so much more than a documentary about a fishing contest – the sometimes staggering and frequently charming musings on love, life and death will have you falling hook, line and sinker. Habicht’s equally excellent Kaikohe Demolition is also available on TVNZ+ for Matariki, plus there’s an open air screening of James and Isey happening tonight in Kawakawa, and a couple of sessions in select Auckland cinemas over the weekend. / AC
Runt (Neon)
We stumbled across this charming and quirky Australian film last weekend, and had a delightful time watching it. Based on a book by Craig Silvey, Runt follows the lively adventures of 10-year-old Annie, who adopts a stray dog and enters him in an agility competition in the hope that the prize money will save their farm from drought and ruin. The trouble is, however, that Runt the dog gets stage fright when anyone other than Annie looks at him. With an impressive cast that includes Celeste Barber, Jai Courtney, Jack Thompson, Deborah Mailman and Matt Day, Runt is funny, heart-warming and full of sweet surprises. A wee gem for all the family. / Tara Ward
Kōkā (in cinemas)
Following a kuia named Hamo (Hinetu Dell), who picks up a wayward 20-something Jo (Darneen Christian) on her journey up the country, Kōkā follows a meditative and intergenerational road trip that traverses everywhere from boarded-up small towns to lush green bush to dripping caves. Director Kath Ahukata-Brown told The Spinoff that the film was 20 years in the making, and is an ode to her land and her people. “I think the road movie genre shows a deeper connection to the land,” she says. “I wanted the journey to tap into the collective desire we have in Aotearoa for finding those connections between each other, and protecting our land.” / AC
Shrek: Kātahi Te Korokē (TVNZ+)
From this week’s New to Streaming: “Shrek has been dubbed into more than 40 languages, but Shrek: Kātahi Te Korokē marks the first time a DreamWorks Animation title has been adapted into an indigenous language. Hot on the heels of several te reo Māori versions of Disney’s beloved animated films, the adaptation is helmed by Tainui Stephens and stars the renowned musician and actor Maaka Pohatu as the titular gruff green ogre and Te Puaheiri Snowden as his wisecracking donkey sidekick. Experience the side-splitting, gross-out fairy tale like never before.” / Thomas Giblin
Secrets Of The Octopus (Disney+)
I loved My Octopus Teacher, but only recently recovered from its predictable but still heartbreaking ending. This series is completely mesmerising – it takes you under the sea all over the world to meet a cast of octopus who are shapeshifters, social networkers and masterminds (the three episode titles). One of the top searches related to the show is “Is Secrets Of The Octopus real footage?” It is and it’s otherworldly, like a high-def trip to outer space but you’re in the ocean. The series strikes a nice balance between informative Paul Rudd narration, storytelling by scientists, and just letting you watch these cool creatures doing their thing. I felt compelled to take up snorkelling immediately, and had buzzy dreams afterwards. / Liv Sisson
Kaleidoscope (NZ on Screen)
If you want to see a few glimpses of good old Aotearoa in the 70s and 80s, look no further than this collection of eccentric little 90-minute documentaries. The title is fitting: all that holds it together is the “arts” – all of them. There’s profiles of artists like Francis Hodgkins and Rita Angus, a behind-the-scenes look of a film about the country’s “most controversial murder” and a handful of episodes about architecture. Other than the peep it gives us into the recent past, Kaleidoscope is charming for the way its subjects are somewhat candid and unsullied by a world where everything is content all the time. / Gabi Lardies
Under the Tuscan Sun (Disney+)
It’s the season of new beginnings. Under the Tuscan Sun is a must watch for anyone going through a breakup or anyone looking to make changes in their life. Other than the fact we all want to vicariously buy a run-down villa in Italy and do it up, the movie is littered with loveable characters and the Gay and Away tour really sends it home. Uplifting. Lovely. Funny. A movie that could be described as a ray of sunshine. / GL
Long Bright River (ThreeNow)
Everyone is going on about Dept. Q but Long Bright River over on ThreeNow is way better. If you want a crime series written well and without unnecessary subplots and a predictable ending, then go for this excellent (if not pretty grim) series about a cop in Philadelphia who is struggling to cope with her sister’s disappearance amid a spate of deaths. Amanda Seyfried is superb as troubled, solo mum who is sure that the deaths have more to do with murder than opioid overdoses. Well written, well acted, and nicely contained in a limited series. / Claire Mabey
Code of Silence (TVNZ+)
I’ve been on a crime binge recently (see above) and Code of Silence is one of the best I’ve watched. It stars Rose Ayling-Ellis who plays a Deaf woman recruited by the police to be a forensic lip reader. Ayling-Ellis (Deaf since birth) is absolutely riveting and the storyline is brilliant. For those after a good, solid crime story you can’t get much better than this. / Claire Mabey
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