Paul Maunder

He is best known for his 1979 film of the novel Sons for the Return Home by Albert Wendt, his 1983 play Hemi about the life of James K. Baxter, and his work in community-based theatre.

In addition to dire cting a number of the documentaries the unit was best known for, he directed three drama productions which were screened on television: Gone up North for a While, One Of Those People That Live In The World and Landfall (the film debut of Sam Neill).

In 1971, Maunder formed the Amamus theatre troupe in Wellington, staging improvised documentary plays on historical subjects such as the Great Depression and the 1951 waterfront lock-out.

The group was then influenced by the work of Jerzy Grotowski and devised a trio of plays: Gallipoli, Valita and Oedipus, which examined the Kiwi psyche.

The group has mounted a series of plays written by Maunder on local issues: 1080 poison (Poison and Purity), the Pike River Mine disaster (Goodnight, Irene), race relations (The Cave Above the Pa), mine closures (The Judgement of Ben Alder), heritage (Ted, Poppy and World War Two), mental health (A Brief History of Madness), and the transition economy (The Measures Taken).