NHNZ facts for kids
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| Founded | 1977 |
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NHNZ Worldwide is a company from New Zealand that makes TV shows. It used to be called Natural History New Zealand or NHNZ.
This company works with many big TV channels around the world. These include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Science, National Geographic Channel, and others. NHNZ shows are watched in 180 countries.
Contents
History of NHNZ
How it Started
NHNZ began in 1977. It was first part of a TV company called TVNZ. Its main goal was to tell stories about New Zealand's amazing animals. This included animals that were rare or in danger.
The first shows were a series called Hidden Places. These short films showed different natural spots in New Zealand. They featured places like Ōkārito and Fiordland.
One of their first big international hits was about the black robin. This tiny bird was almost extinct. A man named Don Merton helped save it. NHNZ made several shows about this success story. These included Seven Black Robins and Chatham Island a Black Robin Story.
In 1997, a bigger company bought NHNZ. It became part of Fox International Channels. Later, in 2012, a person named David Haslingden bought NHNZ completely.
New Owners and New Name
In 2017, a Canadian company called Blue Ant Media bought NHNZ.
A few years later, in 2021, a TV producer named Julie Christie bought most of NHNZ. She became the main boss. Blue Ant Media still owns a part of the company. At this time, the company changed its name to NHNZ Worldwide.
Amazing Documentaries
Shows About Antarctica
NHNZ is very famous for its documentaries about Antarctica. Their first Antarctica show was in 1982. It showed the lives of Adelie penguins. Since then, they have made 18 more shows about this icy continent.
Early successful shows were Icebird and Under the Ice. Two other important documentaries were Emperors of Antarctica and The Longest Night. These shows helped NHNZ build a strong connection with Discovery Channel.
In 2010, NHNZ started making shows in 3D. Their first 3D show was China Revealed: The Great Wall of China. It was shown on one of the first 3D TV channels.
Award-Winning Series
Many of NHNZ's TV series have won awards. In 2000, cameraman Mike Single won an Emmy Award. This was for his amazing camera work in The Crystal Ocean. This show was about how water freezes and thaws in Antarctica.
NHNZ has made many popular series with Animal Planet. One well-known series is The Most Extreme. They made 65 episodes of this show from 2002 to 2007.
Before The Most Extreme, there was a series called Twisted Tales. In 1999, Ian McGee won an Emmy Award for writing Twisted Tales: The Bat.
In 2008, NHNZ started a new series called I Survived.... This show tells stories of people who survived dangerous situations. It has over 60 episodes. Other popular series include Orangutan Island and Life Force.
Different Kinds of Shows
Over the years, NHNZ started making more than just nature shows. They now cover many different topics. These include health shows like Kill or Cure. They also make science shows like Mega Disasters. Other shows cover adventure, people, and engineering. Examples are Man Made Marvels and MegaStructures.
NHNZ Moving Images
In 2007, NHNZ created a team to share its video clips. This team helps sell or reuse parts of their shows. These clips can be used on phones or online.
Later, they created NHNZ Moving Images. This part of the company sells video footage and outtakes from NHNZ shows. In 2011, they even signed a deal to sell footage from National Geographic Channel's huge library.
Other Fun Projects
In 2009, NHNZ started a gaming division called Runaway. This team develops video games for social media and mobile phones.
Runaway made a popular Facebook game called Flutter. In this game, players breed butterflies. It was linked with the World Wildlife Fund. The game had over 600,000 players. Runaway also made mobile games like Howling Mouse and Puzzle Planet. These were made with National Geographic Channel.
Learning and Education
Since 2002, NHNZ has worked with the University of Otago in New Zealand. Together, they created a special two-year course. Students learn how to make science and nature films. They spend a year studying and a year making a real documentary.
See also
- Nature documentary
- Natural history
