Kiwi Tsunami Documentary Video

Kiwi Tsunami is an entertaining documentary about Japanese-speaking Kiwis living in Japan. The subjects include TV karaoke stars, an IT multimillionaire, a shearer-showman, an equestrian trainer, an enterprising caterer, a (JET) office worker, a media wrangler (all of whom live in Japan) and a lawyer in New Zealand. Designed for ease of use in the classroom, each profile is presented with and without English subtitles so that students at all levels may benefit. Kiwi Tsunami shows how Japanese opens doors via a collection of 'success stories'.

Heath Cozens, the creator of Kiwi Tsunami has worked in Japan for many years. Kiwi Tsunami represents the marriage of his main interests - education, video and the NZ-Japan relationship. After graduating with a degree in Theatre and Film, Mr Cozens left for Japan in 1995. He started out teaching English then worked for three years as a part-time researcher/ presenter for a radio show called ‘Kiwis in Kansai’. He has also translated and worked as an interpreter for other documentaries produced in Japan. He was production manager for 'Tokyo Bro's' a documentary screened on TV3 in 2002 which profiled 4 New Zealander's living in Japan.

One copy of the Kiwi Tsunami video and an accompanying booklet were sent to all secondary schools teaching Japanese in 2003. The booklet profiles each candidate – providing one or two pages by way of background and information on each, offers suggestions on the use of video in the classroom and includes a transcript of the Japanese used in each profile. It also contains a list of translations of difficult vocabulary items.
In 2010, National Japanese Language Adviser Junko Tomooka worked with Mr Cozens to convert the video into a DVD. The first 100 copies of the DVD and on-line are available to the first 100 teachers to send in an A5 (23 x 16cm) stamped ($1.50) addressed envelope to Naomi Collins, Ruawharo Centre, EIT, PO Box 410, Napier 4140.