Last Home Renters - Release Week
It has been a big week releasing the latest social documentary from Useful Media/Hexwork Productions, called Last Home Renters on the Spinoff platform. I thought I would share some of the highlights from the release week and the film itself.
We had an incredible gathering on the 5th December at the ex-Yugoslavian Embassy where some of the documentary was filmed, around 40 people turned up to support the kaupapa.
I had a really great RNZ interview with Jesse Mulligan talking about the project and the messaging in the documentary:
The Last Home Renters trailer went off the algorithm charts on the Spinoff Facebook page with over 550 comments.
The Spinoff freelance writer Rachel Judkins has written a wrap-around article for the Last Home Renters film on the larger issue - The Worrying Rise of Retired Renters. We also hear from Jane Wrightson, the NZ Retirement Commissioner.
Retirement commissioner Jane Wrightson points out that, contrary to popular belief, retirement can be anything but plain sailing. “There’s a kind of myth that talks about these fat-cat Boomers living on the hog and doing European river cruises, but that’s a relatively small proportion,” she says. Forty percent of seniors are living on the pension alone, and another 20% only have a little more from savings or income, so more than half of the 65+ cohort are financially fragile."
“That’s what everyone’s afraid of”. Rodney Patea, a pensioner struggling to find a long-term rental in his Coromandel town, thinks he might have to buy a tent or live in his car. Matarangi is full of vacant holiday mansions, and no affordable long-term rentals.
Last Home Renters is made with the support of NZ On Air.
You can watch Last Home Renters on YouTube here (14-minute watch):
We would really appreciate any shares to help get the word out. Huge thanks to all those who have contributed!
