What to watch this Matariki weekend

Looking for something special to watch this Matariki? We’ve got you covered. These are our picks of the best dramas, documentaries and kids’ shows for you and your whānau to watch this weekend.

Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone (Multiple networks from 6am)

Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu), Mātai Smith (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri), Te Aorere Pewhairangi (Ngāti Porou) and Marcia Hopa (Ngapuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Waikato) will broadcast live live from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on Friday morning to celebrate Matariki 2026. This year’s theme is Matariki Herenga Waka – For Everyone, and the three-hour event offers an opportunity for different communities across the motu to come together and reflect, remember and connect in the spirit of Matariki. The live broadcast will screen across multiple networks, including TVNZ1, TVNZ+, Whakaata Māori and Sky Open.

Sgt Haane (TVNZ+)

Alex Tarrant and Vinnie Bennett star in this World War Two docudrama about Haane Manahi, a 28th Māori battalion soldier who led a small group of men to capture a strategically important Tunisian mountain in April 1943. Through a mix of documentary storytelling and dramatic re-enactment, Sgt Haane captures how extraordinary the group’s feat was, and how they were denied the military recognition they deserved. “Sergeant Haane Manahi is a war hero. His feats at Takrouna, Tunisia, during the second world war are a story of triumph in the midst of a bloody battle. More than a hundred thousand New Zealanders fought in the second world war. Each one of them has a story worth telling. Manahi’s is particularly inspiring,” we wrote earlier this year.

Baddies (TVNZ+)

New local adventure series Baddies will resonate with anyone who remembers the golden age of New Zealand kids dramas during the 1980s. Set in small-town Aotearoa, Baddies follows four young troublemakers who find themselves sent to a camp for wayward youth, only to uncover a gang of bumbling bank robbers hiding out nearby. The kids have to make a choice: do they follow their current path as baddies, or make the choice to be a “goodie”? Baddies is directed by Johnny Barker and created by Barker, Kiel McNaughton and Kerry Warkia, and is guaranteed to entertain everyone in the family.

Ranginui: Call of the Ice (TVNZ+ from Sunday, DocEdge Festival)

This new documentary follows Māori astronomer Rangi Matamua and language expert Mataia Keepa as they travel to Antarctica during the darkness of winter, bringing science and indigenous knowledge together in one of the world’s most extreme environments. Matamua wants to honour a promise he made to his grandfather that he will share Māori starlore beyond Aotearoa, and through auroras, blizzards and shifting ice, the pair discover first-hand that Antarctica is a living and constantly changing landscape. Ranginui: Call of the Ice won Best New Zealand Cinematography category at the Doc Edge Awards 2026.

The Mountain (Neon)

If you’re looking for a family-friendly gem that’s both wholesome and uplifting, don’t go past The Mountain. Filmed in Taranaki, directed by Rachel House and with music by Troy Kingi, The Mountain is a coming-of-age story about 11-year-old Sam, who decides to climb Taranaki Mounga in the hope it will help her connect to her Māori culture and cure her cancer. Along the way, Sam makes two unexpected mates, and as they climb Taranaki Mounga together, the three new pals learn more about themselves than they ever expected. The Mountain is a heartfelt, funny film about friendship, connection and the power of working out where you belong.

Origins (TVNZ+, Māori+)

Broadcaster, author, reo Māori expert and cartwheeling icon Scotty Morrison (Ngāti Whakaue) discovers the history and legacies of early Māori in Aotearoa in this thoughtful docu-series. Using a mix of Western science, archeology, mātauranga and kōrero tuku iho, Morrison explores what Aotearoa was like 1000 years ago. Earlier this year, Morrison told The Spinoff that he hopes Origins will help every New Zealander connect to the history of the land they live on. “To be able to physically go and see the areas that are in our oral traditions, to stand in places where our really illustrious ancestors were and talk to the people there – that’s really enriched my knowledge of who I am and what our origin story is.”

Dead Ahead (TVNZ+, Netflix)

Audiences around the world can now enjoy this gentle New Zealand comedy-drama after it was recently picked up by Netflix. Starring Miriama Smith, Nicola Kawana, Te Kohe Tuhaka and Xavier Horan, Dead Ahead follows the Wharehoka family as they move back to Aotearoa after living in London for many years. Their arrival home shifts the balance between the spiritual and physical realms, and unusual things start to happen – before three tīpuna appear to guide the whānau in the right direction.

The Last Moa (Neon)

This charming new animated kids TV series follows the adventures of Moa, the last living moa in Aotearoa. With moa long believed to be extinct, cunning local trapper Ted wants to capture Moa and claim his 15 minutes of fame and fortune, but Moa’s fiercely loyal guardian Kiwi is determined to protect her. With Ted prepared to do whatever it takes to get his hands on the elusive big bird, The Last Moa is filled with plenty of slapstick humour and delightfully chaotic moments.

Kokā (Neon)

Road trip movie Kokā was over 20 years in the making, and follows the relationship between kuia Hamo (Hinetu Dell) and troubled twentysomething Jo (Darneen Christie). The two strangers meet as Hamo drives from the South Island back to her home on the East Cape, and the film explores the experience of different generations of wahine Māori. Director Kath Akuhata-Brown told The Spinoff that Kokā is “a cosmic journey as well as a physical journey. Our actors are moving across the landscape under the gaze of Matariki and let’s just say Matariki has a very significant moment in the film.”