Unlikely Kin

Whales, trees, and kinship beyond species.

Filmed over five years, the film follows elder Hori Parata (Ngāti Wai) and his son Te Kaurinui as they lead the sacred practice of harvesting stranded whales—not for consumption, but to honour whakapapa and revive traditional medicine used to treat kauri dieback, a disease killing New Zealand’s ancient trees. Alongside this, we follow their conservation work protecting the kiore, the Polynesian rat that arrived in Aotearoa with the great Māori migration. Interweaving themes of kinship between species, cultural survival, and Māori-led conservation, the film offers rare access to a sacred world where whales, forests, and even rats are revered as living ancestors.

Made with the support of NZ On Air, RNZ, New Zealand Film Commission, Pacific Islander in Communication. 

Screening Note:  In-cinema only.  This film screens exclusively in cinemas in Auckland and Wellington.  It will not be available on the Doc Edge Virtual Cinema. We encourage you to catch it on the big screen.