Country Calendar: the Best of 2012, TVNZ. DVD, approx 4½ hours. ISBN 978-1-908397-72-0. Now in stock at Old Pond at £17.95 inc. VAT.
New Zealand’s long-running television series Country Calendar keeps making well-told stories about strong characters doing interesting things in great rural locations. Each of the stories is told in depth.
The twelve episodes chosen as the best of 2012 feature a wide range of farming and outdoors activities. There are musters of cattle and sheep on remote farms, a highly successful shearing partnership, contrasting accounts of fishing, a forestry enterprise and hunting. There are novel approaches to farming from small-acreage lavender cultivation to new developments in cattle feeding. There are plenty of horses, too.
Most of these family-run enterprises use direct marketing to achieve commercial success. Their owners pay close attention to the environment in some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes.
DISC ONE
Precious Catch: A Westland family catch whitebait in an unspoiled spot.
Remote Run: A family copes with remoteness on their mountain station.
Horse Heaven: Youngsters at camp learn adventurous horse riding.
Fare Game: Callum Hughes hunts wild deer in spectacular scenery.
Healthy Harvest: How Rex gets a living from a ‘lifestyle’ block of 1 hectare.
Slice of Paradise: Raising cattle and running a campsite in a conservation area.
DISC TWO
Paddock Poet: A family that reclaimed eroded land for sheep, cattle and poetry.
Fishing Wild Waters: A fisherman who braves the wild waters of Cook Strait.
Girl in the Bush: ‘Stormy’ is a 21-year-old girl who works with men as a logger.
Son of the Soil: A dairy farmer who has adapted to more sustainable agriculture.
The Last Ride: Veteran stockmen ride with wild horses and check their condition.
Shear Hard Slog: Meet Emily and Sam – both champion shearers.
Old Pond has previously licensed two other Country Calendar programmes from TVNZ.See here for Country Calendar: Director's Pick.
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