Patrick Gower brings Antarctic science to New Zealand screens

Patrick Gower: On Ice, a two-part special about Antarctica and climate change, makes its television debut today.

The documentary makers spent three weeks’ filming at Scott Base and its surrounds last November, visiting as many scientists in the field as possible.

From Ernest Shackleton’s hut at Cape Royds to the Commonwealth Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, journalist Patrick Gower, director Justin Hawkes and cameraman Dominic Fryer covered a lot of ground.

The resulting documentary is a firsthand look at the fragile beauty of the continent, evidence of its vulnerability to rising temperatures, and the profound implications these changes hold for the entire planet.

What packs a real punch is the documentary’s ability to connect changes in Antarctica to changes here in New Zealand, and to our Pacific neighbours.

“The audience gets to listen in on some frank and fascinating conversations in some extraordinary places,” says Antarctica New Zealand’s acting chief executive, Jordy Hendrikx.

“Some of those conversations are scary, some are sweet or funny, all of them are very human.”

The documentary was made with the support of New Zealand On Air, with travel to the ice made possible by Antarctica New Zealand’s Community Engagement Programme.

• Patrick Gower: On Ice on Three, Monday August 12 and Tuesday August 13, at 7pm. Streaming on ThreeNow from August 12.
• Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/U02Wi5CuL44
• Community Engagement Programme applications for the 2025/26 summer season are now open, with proposals accepted until 5pm on 1 October 2024.