Set in a North Island timber town, Pukemanu portrayed the lives of rural, bi-cultural townsfolk, earning praise for its authentic depiction of boozy, blokey characters in swannie attire.

Pioneering series Pukemanu (the NZBC's first continuing drama) was set in a North Island timber town. Its portrait of the town's folk offered an archetypal screen image that Kiwis could relate to: rural, bi-cultural, boozy and blokey; viewers and reviewers praised its Swannie-clad authenticity.