The side profile of a man receiving a hair cut from someone but only their hands and arms are within the frame.

The Barber Shop

6m

Six young Māori men sit down for a kōrero with their barber in this unscripted series about youth from Aotearoa’s northern region.

Produced by Tai Huri Films for TAHI.

Series details.

Credits

Jason Tāhu Taylor
Creator, Producer, & Series Director
Rhonda Kite
Executive Producer
Tim Burnell
RNZ Commissioning Manager
Jodhi Hoani
RNZ Commissioner, Rangatahi

The Barber Shop is a six-part video documentary series providing a platform for rangatahi to share their stories.

The series takes place in a barbershop up north, where six young men from across the region speak their mind about relationships, sexuality, and addiction.

In the eyes of the barbering crew, Denny, better known as “Chop,” has been crowned “King of the North.” He is the owner of The Chop Shop in Kerikeri, New Zealand. Chop is inadvertently a pou (pillar) for young people in the community.

While sitting in Chop's chair, these young men share their stories of injustice, bias and expectation with him. Their kōrero flows as Chop listens to their unscripted tales.

Openness allows us to see the complexity of our young people’s lives in the ever-changing world they face.

The Chop Shop is a place where rangatahi are free to talk openly and where nothing is off the table. It’s a legendary hangout and a safe place for locals to sit down, kōrero, and get a haircut.

The Barber Shop series offers a glimpse into the worlds of six aspirational young men from Te Tai Tokerau. This is youth culture in regional Aotearoa.

Produced by

Tai Huri partner logo for use on dark background

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