Te Ara
- COMING SOON -
Holly Beckham is on a mission, to be the first Māori wahine to scale Everest. Lydia Bradey ONZM, the first woman to summit without oxygen, will be her mentor – and after many years being a mountain guide, this will be her swansong. This is a story of wāhine toa. Holly and Lydia have both overcome adversity and personal struggles to get to this point.
Background
At 34 years old, Holly has survived the depths of addiction and is climbing the maunga to recovery. Back in 1988, Te Waipounamu’s Lydia Bradey was the first woman to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen. But instead of accolades, she became the subject of public bullying and misinformation, as people challenged her claims.
The call of the Karanga
Lydia and Holly formed an undeniable bond, while filming together recently on The Explorer Club, a kid’s series where rangatahi follow in the footsteps of Aotearoa’s greatest explorers. They can both hear the call of the karanga and in 2024 are determined to ‘knock the bastard off’ together – both physically and metaphorically.
The documentary
This documentary will capture the milestones, grit and mahi all the way to. And at its heart is the heroic resilience of a young Māori wahine, who’s determined to reconnect with her wairua, by climbing and conquering the world’s highest mountain! It is a true opportunity to break the ice ceiling with Holly and Lydia together.
Lydia Bradey's Story
“Life can be really hard but you can break through and
climb the proverbial mountain.”
Lydia Bradey, ONZM
About Holly
Ko Poērua tōku maunga
Ko Te kirikiri tōku awa
Ko ngawha tōku marae
Ko E koro kia tutuki whare tupuna
Ko Ngātokimatawharua tōku waka
Ko Ngāti Rangi tōku hapu
Ko Ngāpuhi tōku iwi
The Production Team
Alex Reed
Producer
Alex Reed is the owner and key creative producer at Bloom Pictures, with a background in both documentary and drama. Alex has created content for New Zealand’s TVOne, TV2, and PRIME networks as well as NZME, and has had projects funded by New Zealand on Air and the New Zealand Film Commission.
Alexis Smith
Director
Alexis Smith is a documentary Producer/Director, primarily working as a Director. BBC-trained (UK), She has worked on multiple award-winning primetime documentaries for worldwide broadcast.
Katalyst Media
Camera
Katalyst Media are experts in producing video and digital media - an innovative creative production company with a sprinkle of new digital marketing agency. They areexperts in leveraging digital media (video & photography) content to build brand awareness, create social media buzz.
GreenstoneTV
Production
A leading NZ indie, Greenstone produces some of New Zealand and Australia’s favourite series. Specialists in observational reality, the Greenstone team also create top-quality documentaries, including The Women Of Pike River, Decades In Colour and Peak Antibiotics.