A local man has tidied up some rare film footage of 1950s Tauranga, after stumbling across it on the Archives New Zealand website.

Hobbyist film editor Brian Pinny made the find while looking for footage of the city from when his parents first arrived, in 1952.

Of course, back then it was merely a seaside town.

'It's quite a fascinating little movie,” says Brian. 'It's all in colour, and shows no port or bridge, and Tauranga Boys' College as a coeducational school.”

Like most films of the type and era, it's narrated by a very plum, proper English voice, which paints a picture of Tauranga life for prospective tourists and residents.

It's a remarkable film to watch for anyone interested in seeing Tauranga before there were high-rise apartments at the Mount, or when there was a lot more green space on The Strand.

It was a lucky find for Brian, who was looking for footage from the period to add into a family film. Film editing is something he's been doing for a while now – he's also made a film about his father's efforts during the Second World War.

'I've been doing it for about five years. I'm all self-taught. I have software that enhances movies like this – corrects colour and the sound. It just tidies it all up nicely.”