Sirocco, conservation superstars and our natural identity

 —  08/10/2009

NZ on Screen have just put together the Nature Collection. It’s Peter Hayden’s handpicked selection of classic Natural History New Zealand documentaries (free, online and on-demand – nice one NZ on Screen).

Checking out these docos brought home to me the way our national identity is locked into our natural identity. And it’s not just how we think about ourselves either, it’s how the rest of the world thinks of us.

Just as Lord of the Rings made movie stars of our natural locations, these documentaries, and the native wonders starring in them,  have helped create the 100% Pure NZ brand and all the tourism dollars that pulls in.

So with conservation superstars like Sirocco the kakapo (and his misplaced affections) bringing in all this moolah, my question is this: who’s his agent, and what percentage are they getting?

Conservation superstar Sirocco

Conservation superstar Sirocco