Ballance story to feature on tv

In his new series William Crawley travels to New Zealand’s North and South Islands to explore the country’s rich connections with Northern Ireland.

In the course of his journey, William reveals the remarkable stories of the Ulstermen and women – past and present – who have contributed so much to the development of New Zealand and helped build such a powerful relationship between two countries on opposite sides of the world.

As William discovers, up to two hundred thousand of today’s New Zealanders can trace their roots back to settlers from Ulster.

William uncovers the stories of Ulster migrants who impacted upon political life in New Zealand, including John Ballance, the ground-breaking liberal Prime Minister from Glenavy, Co.Antrim and the conservative ‘Farmer Bill’ Massey from Limavady who led the country during the difficult times of the First World War.

William also meets with recent migrants, including the Ulster couple who have set up home in earthquake-stricken Christchurch and the story of the Rathfriland man who turned his back on journalism and became a producer of world class wine in New Zealand’s South Island. Brave New World is a DoubleBand production for BBC NI in conjunction with the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.