This week, two primetime documentary specials put New Zealand women in the spotlight, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Following the very recent, very public quashing of the New Zealand women's voice in Parliament, the telly has stepped in with this near-cosmic reminder that we need to listen to women and their experiences.
Last night Prime and TV One aired documentaries exploring two very different facets of the New Zealand woman facing harsh and oppressive societal realities. Prime's NZ Women in Rock told the stories of the women in our modern music scene, who have carved the way in the industry for the likes of Lorde (mostly just Lorde). TV One's The Women of Pike River told another story " one of women in the face of tragedy, picking up the pieces and fighting for justice for their brothers, husbands and sons.
NZ Women in Rock returned to the early careers of musicians such as Shona Laing, Jenny Morris and Margaret Urlich, as well as later figures like Anika Moa and Brooke Fraser. Some got into music after being discovered in talent quests, others like Moa persisted out of defiance after being told by her male peers that she couldn't write or play. What Moa hinted at here was the more illuminating part of the special: the unique experience of being a woman in an industry that was dominated by men. "I thought 'if he can do it, I can do it'," Margaret Urlich recalled of her brother Pat.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy in reality. Brooke Fraser remembered being the only person " in a studio full of men " who wasn't asked about an arrangement change on her own album. Anika Moa shook her head as she spoke of being asked by the label to lose weight. "We don't need those pressures because the whole world is full of pressures," she sighed. Recalling the distinct female experience gave this documentary its sharp insight, but it's worth noting that the scope of the documentary didn't extend beyond singer/songwriters who found mainstream success. Would have been nice to hear outsiders' stories too.
