Here we’ve preserved Liam Maguren’s short and sweet reviews of TVNZ+ shows that have been moved from their original streaming platforms. You can find their current streaming homes by clicking each title.
The Adventures of Tumeke Space (2021, one season)
WATCH ON TVNZ+Aotearoa animation studio Mukpuddy channelled their love of Star Wars and Billy T James into this very pretty, very New Zealand sci-fi adventure series. Māori space hero Tumeke Space (Glen-Paul Waru), first seen in Mukpuddy’s own Barefoot Bandits, travels the galaxy in search of his missing Koro, picking up clues to his whereabouts while trying to avoid the unbearably fragile Pink Menace (who may or may not be loosely based on a real-life historical figure). Also features the voices of prominent Kiwi comedians Josh Thomson, Urzila Carlson and Billy T award-winner Kura Forrester.
Planet Earth III (2023)
WATCH ON TVNZ+Sir David Attenborough, the one true king of nature documentaries, guides us through this third iteration of the groundbreaking BBC series. With a clear-eyed focus on the climate crisis, this season blends the perilous dangers affecting all areas of the world with the eye-widening wonderment of the animal kingdom. It’s a sobering take-your-medicine edition of the series that arguably stands as the most important of the three seasons.
