Hurricane Brash - One News Special

Filming for this one hour documentary began the day Don Brash was elected leader of the National Party late 2003. When the idea for the programme was pitched, the question posed was "The once indomitable National Party is at its lowest ebb in years – can one man make a difference?" The aim of the documentary was to record Brash’s first 100 days as opposition leader. As it turned out, filming went slightly longer as events unfolded with the now infamous Orewa speech and its aftermath. Producer/Director John Keir was keen to give an entertaining treatment to a subject – politics – that many regard as dull and boring. To do this he enlisted the help of Tom Scott whose wry commentary turned ‘fly on the wall’ television into political humour in documentary form. Hurricane Brash offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the National Party and one man’s attempts to turn its fortunes around.