Temuera Morrison has stamped his mark on Hollywood with roles in Star Wars, Aquaman, and The Mandalorian. Photo / NZME
Temuera Morrison has stamped his mark on Hollywood with roles in Star Wars, Aquaman, and The Mandalorian. Photo / NZME
The acclaimed stars of the drama series Far North, based on the Ninety-Mile Beach drug bust, have been tightly under wraps until now.
The Advocate can officially reveal Kiwi acting legend Temuera Morrison and homegrown award-winning actor Robyn Malcolm will lead the cast in the six-part dark comedy series based on the failed methamphetamine importation in June 2016.
Each hour-long episode follows the journey of the 70-year-old diesel mechanic who unwittingly cracked the almost half-billion-dollar drug operation after it arrived at his back door.
Robyn Malcolm as the family matriarch, Cheryl West, on the popular television show Outrageous Fortune. Photo / NZME
Eight people were jailed for their attempts to import 501kg of the class A drug - the largest meth bust until 613kg of meth was seized at Auckland Airport in March this year.
On June 9, 2016, a group of men piqued the interest of Ahipara locals as they attempted to launch a $40,000 boat at a notoriously difficult spot on Ninety-Mile Beach.
The swells hamstrung their efforts to reach a "mother ship" anchored off-shore as the boat was damaged.
A second boat was bought in Auckland, this time for $98,000 in cash, and successfully launched to retrieve 494kg of meth dropped out to sea.
As police were investigating reports of strange behaviour, two suspects drove past and were chased by officers and arrested.
A short time later, police stopped a suspicious-looking campervan, which they pulled over and found 448kg of meth inside. Police also discovered 52kg of meth buried in sand dunes on Ninety-Mile Beach.
The campervan allegedly contained the bulk of the methamphetamine. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Details of the inappropriately comical operation emerged during a six-week trial in the High Court at Whangārei in 2019.
The trial culminated in Stevie Cullen and Selaima Fakaosilea, a close relative of All Blacks great Jonah Lomu, being found guilty of participating in an organised criminal gang and importing meth.
Stevie Cullen and Selaima Fakaosilea were found guilty of importing meth and participating in an organised criminal gang after a six-week trial in the High Court at Whangārei.
Onscreen Kiwi icons, Morrison and Malcolm, will lead a cast that includes Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (The Panthers), Xana Tang (Mulan, Sweet Tooth), Fei Li (Island of Yesterday, Eternal Romance), Gabriel Chao Ren (Power Rangers, Cowboys Bebop), Maaka Pohatu (Savage, Wellington Paranormal) and Fay Tofilau (26:29 Supernatural Anthology Series).
Keen-eyed Ahipara locals had their suspicions about the stars of the show after Malcolm and Morrison were spotted in the coastal settlement - especially at cafe North Drift.
The cameras have been rolling on the series, produced by Shortland Street's South Pacific Pictures and White Balance Pictures, since the start of June.
Filming is expected to last 14 weeks with seven spent on location in the Far North and the remainder in an Auckland studio.
Kelly Martin, CEO of South Pacific Pictures and executive producer of Far North, said the project had been six years in the making.
"We are so proud of the extremely talented cast we have assembled and combined with the creative team, as well as the picturesque locations of the Far North, it enables us to deliver something that will be very special."
South Pacific Pictures head of communications, Rachael Keereweer, said the series was working closely with Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Aupōuri Iwi and the wider Far North community of Aotearoa.
The Advocate understands the crew was being hosted at local marae, which were being compensated with funding to be used for renovations.
Cultural advisers have worked with the crew while 10 budding film and television production students have been given the opportunity to learn the dynamics of television-making alongside the world-class professional crew.
Director David White co-wrote Far North with Mingjian Cui and Suli MoaIt. Hawke's Bay native White's latest work was as the director, writer, and producer of the 2020 black comedy feature film This Town - which also featured Malcolm.
Far North will be broadcast on free-to-air TV in New Zealand and screened internationally on Sundance Now (USA), Paramount+ (Australia), Warner Bros. Discovery (New Zealand) and All3Media International. However, a date for airing was yet to be set.
Funding for the series came from the Te Puna Kairangi Premium Fund. The $50 million fund aids the Aotearoa New Zealand production sector's recovery from Covid-19 by supporting high-quality productions that tell New Zealand stories for global audiences.
