A Rotorua-based waka crew member, who was part of a Maori Television screened film, is not surprised it received an award at the New York Film and Television Awards.
Te Mana o te Moana The Pacific Voyagers took out a medal in the new documentary category of climate change and sustainability.
The film traces the two-year voyage of seven ocean-going, 22 metre (72 foot) waka as they traverse the Pacific Ocean, reviving the sailing and navigational brilliance of their ancestors.
Rotorua-based Patrick Mohi was one of the crew members on one of the waka and wasn't surprised the film won the award because it was something unique and interesting for both indigenous and non-indigenous people. "It's an old adventure in modern times."
He said the film was about ocean sustainability, the state of the Pacific, what people did and how it affected it. It highlighted the negative outcomes of people's ill-treatment of the ocean environment, he said.
