Michelle Leuthart

On the 7th of May 2009, Senior Constables Len Snee, Grant Diver and Bruce Miller arrived at 41 Chaucer Rd in Napier to serve a search warrant on Jan Molenaar for the growing of cannabis. This was just a routine warrant, something they had done countless times. What was meant to be an ordinary procedure turned into three of New Zealand’s darkest days and ended with one police officer dead, two officers critically injured and a member of the public fighting for his life. In some fifty hours Jan Molenaar made a permanent and devastating imprint upon the national psyche of New Zealand as he changed the lives of individuals, families, a police community, and a city. The siege was one of the worst and unexpected cases of violence both Napier and New Zealand had witnessed and it was all the more shocking because of its ordinary suburban backdrop.

Kelsey Donovan searches for her father, Jake, whom she hasn't seen in over twenty years. When he finds her in a picturesque small town in New Zealand, they can't get close. Kelsey's father works as a professional treasure hunter in New Zealand and also organizes diving courses for tourists with Dillon Ward. Kelsey doesn't like her father treating the handsome Dillon like he's his son. When Jake is nearly killed in a diving accident, father and daughter finally seem to bond. When Kelsey and Dillon begin to grow fond of each other, Jake isn't thrilled.

The Haunting of Barney Palmer is a fantasy film for children about a young boy who is haunted by his great uncle. Young Barney fears that he has inherited the Scholar family curse; a suite of 80s-era effects ramp up the supernatural suspense. The film was a co-production between PBS (United States) and Wellington's Gibson Group, which resulted in Ned Beatty (Deliverance, Network) being cast. It was written by Margaret Mahy, based on her Carnegie Award-winning novel The Haunting, and an early fruitful collaboration between her and director Yvonne Mackay.

After 2 years, Kate meets her estranged mother Lynne, on the beach where their relationship fell apart. Faced with life-altering news, can the two find peace with each other, or are they bound to repeat the roles they've always played?