Both films try to portray what life was like in New Zealand in the 19th century, without trying to "glam" it up, make out that life was easy and carefree. It seems as though these two films have been made at a time when New Zealanders are more comfortable exploring difficult issues, such as the reality of our past, than we may have been previously, when anything that took away from the idea of this being "God"s own country' was looked down upon with derision and embarrassment.

One recurring theme in the films is how the white settlers struggled to carve out a niche for themselves on an unfamiliar and often unforgiving landscape. Sure there are plenty of picturesque views that "take the breath away," but these views are interspersed with characters struggling against the elements (foul weather and the like), the landscape (being bogged down in mud, climbing up steep slopes, being scratched by native fauna), and each other (holding onto traditional British values in a land far removed).

Another theme explored in both films is that of the interaction between these new settlers and local Maori. Not only are many things "lost in translation" between the two groups, but we also see the theme of the settlers trying to impose their foreign values and customs onto a race that seem to have no need or want of them.