Maori drama wild and spooky

Make sure the edge of your seat is comfy because Mataku just got spookier. The third series of the award-winning Maori drama - but the first one to screen on TV One, having started life in a late-night slot on TV3 - starts tonight with the chilling Uru Takariri - The Wild Ones.

The drama unfolds when three thieves flee authorities by hiding in the bush, only to find themselves hunted by taniwha who feed on humans.

Like all Mataku stories, it weaves Maori mythology with contemporary drama.

In this case, it's the tradition of the maero, a bush creature that fights against man.

The episode was shot at night in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges. Although filming in wet conditions had its problems, the weather adds to the creepy atmosphere.

"This series is definitely a bit darker in terms of the content being very harsh and spooky," says co-producer Bradford Haami. "We delve into a few areas where people do not delve into."

Mataku 3 is a fusion of nail-biting drama, tradition colliding with mystical spiritual ideals, and newsworthy issues that confront all New Zealanders. In later episodes, Mataku debunks the idea that all newborn babies are born innocent, with a tale of infanticide and the life-force of the bush.

Another, Te Rakau, tackles the controversial subject of 1080 poisoning and the effects it has on small Maori communities. Another episode offers an insight into the Maori attitude to the use of photographs and the potential to channel evil.

You might think that after three series it would be getting difficult to come up with original stories, particularly as they are based on myth.

But Haami says he and co-creator Carey Carter are not short of material. They draw from legends of the supernatural passed down through the traditional means of oral story-telling through their families, and they diligently check their research and road-test it by showing kaumatua and other Maori.

"There's heaps of stories out there and we come across them every day. It's just a case of how you tell them so it's interesting.

"The human condition is universal. People love, hate, cry, die, become emotional about all sorts of things."

Haami says it is a matter of maintaining a balance between emotions, tradition and the way the Maori people view the world.

Haami and Carter came up with the idea for Mataku when they were working at TVNZ 14 years ago.

The programme won four of its 14 nominations at the 2003 AFTAs and received favourable comment at film festivals overseas.

The third series features a who's who of Maori broadcasting, with original host Temuera Morrison joining directors Carter, Peter Burger, Vanessa Rare, and Michael Bennett.

New cast members include Gordon Toi, Taika Cohen and Nancy Brunning. Re-runs have been picked up by Maori Television.

Haami says the show's success comes down to the fact that Maori are already familiar with the themes.

"We've had people from plumbers to road workers to family members and as soon as you mention Mataku they go, 'Man, that was our family story'."

On screen

What: Mataku, new series

Where & when: TV One, 9.40pm