TV producer Claudette Hauiti (Ngati Porou, Ngapuhi) began her career as a sports journalist on radio before moving to television news. In later years, her production company Front of the Box has made ground-breaking Maori series such as Eye to Eye and Takatapui, as well as the award-winning documentaries Gang Girls and Children of the Revolution.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Hauiti talks about:

• How some gang connections led to the documentary Gang Girls and how it validated the lives of the women interviewed

• How strong support from Maori TV for Takatapui helped get the series on air despite some misgivings from the Maori community

• The cancellation of Eye to Eye

• How she likes Front of the Box shows to challenge audiences

• How Maori Television has created a huge mind shift in attitudes to Maori and assisted in making New Zealand more multi-cultural

• The challenges of being an independent television producer in New Zealand

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

NZ On Screen: Interview, Camera & Editing – Andrew Whiteside