SHEPHERDESS

Docuseries 6 x half hour
PremierED October 2023 on Sky Open

Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. Entrepreneurs, problem solvers, business owners, project conceivers. Women wear many hats. Often, many at the same time. There is an amazing resourcefulness and depth of talent to the women of the land in Aotearoa.

In each episode, we lean into the lives of three women connected by a sense of place, as they share stories of courage, commitment and community. Among others, we meet a station cook raising her three girls on a high-country station; a wāhine using traditional Māori healing to enhance
the wellbeing of shearers and the shearing industry; a stitch-painter whose work is inspired by the nature around her; a fisherwoman on a mission to supply sustainable, seasonal kaimoana; and the postmistress of the oldest continually running postal service in the country.

PRODUCED BY
Nadia Maxwell, Overactive Imagination

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY
Kristy McGregor, Shepherdess Magazine

DIRECTORS
Hannah McOwan (Tokanui, Kurow & Upper Moutere)
Catherine Bisley (Ophir, Tora & Upper Moutere)
Jessica Sanderson (Pōrangahau)

Made with the support of
NEW ZEALAND ON AIR

PRESS

"A gentle, thoughtful portrait of each woman’s life, their whānau and community, capturing the everyday beauty in a world not often seen on our screens. Shepherdess is about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the beauty in the small things."
– Tara Ward, THE SPINOFF

“Shepherdess feels grounded and grounding”
– Russell Brown, THE LISTENER

“Beautifully filmed and is not only female focussed but female led, produced and directed by women”
– Melenie Parkes, THE POST