Reward for return of doco footage By LINDY LAIRD
CHASING HISTORY: Brent Kerehona is devastated by the theft of irreplaceable documentary footage. TWO Australian brothers of Maori heritage are still without irreplaceable documentary footage after their car was broken into while they were filming at Rawhiti. Brent Kerehona, from Sydney, and his film-maker brother Kris, from Canberra, were in the Bay of Islands making a documentary about their bicultural family’s fighting history and have offered a $500 reward for the return of the film footage. Their documentary — its working title Born for War — was based on the discovery by Australian career soldier Brent Kerehona that he was descended from Maori warriors, and that his great great great great grandfather was Moka Kainga-Maata , an important Bay of Islands’ chief and Treaty signatory. Mr Kerehona had recently been medically discharged from the Australian army after a pulmonary embolism and stumbled on his own family history while retraining to become a teacher. Before then the father of two had no idea of his whakapapa (family history). ‘‘I realised I was a 30-year man with no connection to my ancestral past,’’ he said. He and Kris, a film-maker, had filmed in several places in the North Island, following the historical, personal and geographical pathways that led their ancestors to war or to peace. Rawhiti, where the brothers had whanau links, was the final call on their route. But on Sunday January 4, someone broke into their hired car and stole camera and computer gear, including five discs on which the brothers’ epic journey had been recorded. Those recordings included interviews with scholars, military men and family, and personal film footage of the men’s journey while making the documentary. They have offered a reward for the return of six mini DV tapes. Also missing, but with less personal value, is a large black camera case, radio microphones, a portable hard drive and other electrical components. The brothers who have returned to Australia are devastated by the theft. ‘‘What makes this a tragedy is that we were making a film about our family and where our family came from and it was here that our film was taken, stolen.’’ Kris Kerehona said. ‘‘If anybody out there has seen the tapes, please hand them in, some way or another.’’ The police have no leads on the theft
