As Hyundai Country Calendar production manager Robyn Best and producer, narrator and occasional director Dan Henry sit down to talk to the Weekly, it’s clear that they’ve honed their working relationship over the past 17 years. From cameras dropped in the river to flash floods in the mountains, they’ve dealt with a fair bit together – and both still insist they have the best jobs in the business.
For Dan, it all began in 2008 when he took a phone call from then-producer Julian O’Brien, asking, “Would you like to work on Country Calendar?”
“My response was something to the effect of, ‘Does a bear s*** in the woods?! Yes, absolutely, that is the dream job, when do I start?’” laughs Dan, 52.
The first episode he directed was on a cadet-training farm near Gisborne.
“I’m a townie with a love of rural New Zealand, but with no experience, so to see these young men turning their hand to just about anything was very impressive,” he recalls.
Since then, Dan has become part of the show’s landscape. In 2011, he became associate producer, then added narrator to his job in 2016. Three years ago, he took over producing the whole thing.
Learning from the MVP
“But I’m the new boy relative to Robyn,” he says, turning to his colleague and friend, who started in 1995.
As production manager, nothing happens that Robyn’s not across.
“Robyn is absolutely the MVP of our team – it would all fall apart if not for her,” admits Dan.
Robyn adds, “My work is behind the scenes, but it’s a big job.”
A lift that changed everything
As for her origin story, it all started with a chance encounter in the elevator with the late Frank Torley, the legendary TVNZ executive producer of rural programming.
“I just remember him saying in the lift, ‘Come and work for me in the rural department,’ so I did,” explains Robyn, 58, who was then a personal assistant on another programme.
Both agree the highlight is always the people and getting to share positive, uplifting stories.
Dan reflects, “They’re just real New Zealanders going about their day-to-day lives, who are passionate about what they do and are willing to share a bit of it with the rest of the country.”
There have also been a fair few adventures in far-flung corners of New Zealand he’ll never forget, such as culling goats for the Department of Conservation in the mountain ranges of the Kahurangi National Park, near Nelson, or a cattle muster south of Haast with the Nolan family, where a jetboat was the preferred mode of transport.
Cowboy adventures in the field
“It was real cowboy stuff, sleeping in muster huts and stories around the campfire,” Dan remembers.
“On that shoot, the rains came and we were flooded in, stuck in the hut, watching the swollen river for a full day.”
They missed their flights back and as always, it was Robyn to the rescue, trying to get them home. Laughing, Robyn reveals that she’s solved so many problems over the years, she doesn’t actually remember this specific incident.
When cameras take a swim
But neither will forget when a vital camera was dropped in the river during filming an episode.
“We were 90km up a gravel road in the Awatere Valley when the camera went for a swim,” tells Dan.
It took more than a day to have new equipment taxied in to the remote South Marlborough location, but with creative editing, the show went on.
“We’re out in the elements, so occasionally you get hit by a weather bomb and have to roll with it,” shares Dan.
From shaky helicopters to drones
Over the years, some things have changed. Aerial shots used to mean shaky helicopter footage, whereas now it’s effortless thanks to the use of drones. The show has moved from a format where each director used to narrate their own episodes to Dan being the voice of Country Calendar – yes, occasionally people recognise him by his voice – and they now work on 40 episodes a year.
Robyn and Dan are proud the show covers a wide range of stories.
“Last year, we had a story about two Māori lesbian farmers,” says Dan.
“There was lots of te reo Māori used, breastfeeding onscreen and burying the whenua [placenta]. It was one out of the box and we had a flood of really lovely comments on social media, many saying, ‘That was the best programme I’ve ever seen.’”
Variety keeps audiences engaged
The following episode was completely different – a much more traditional story covering the Muller Station muster in Marlborough. That also garnered a hugely enthusiastic response. Dan believes the audience appreciates the difference.
“A week apart, two shows couldn’t be more different and people loved it,” he adds.
“That’s a real testament to the programme in 2026 and telling a variety of experiences of people on the land.”
Hyundai Country Calendar screens Sundays, 7pm on TVNZ 1 and streams on TVNZ+.
