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48 minutes that'll wreck your faith in the system and break your heart.
TMDB
90

Staunch (1999)

Kitchen-sink realismRighteous rageSmall but devastating

Overview

DramaTV Movie

Ariana is in trouble with the law. Aided by a sympathetic social worker the young Māori woman defends herself against assault charges after a police raid on her home.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
Institutional racismState violence against Indigenous communitiesBroken social safety netsSurvival through solidarity

Standout Aspects

Acting

Kerr-Bell's quiet ferocity anchors every frame.

Direction

Hunter's documentary background bleeds into fiction.

Writing

Dialogue so authentic it hurts.

Best for:Solo: When you need to feel something raw and real.·Streaming: Essential NZ cinema, buried treasure.
Heads up:Violence: Police raid depicted with realistic threat and restraint.·Triggers: Systemic injustice against Māori families, child welfare stakes.
K

Director

Keith Hunter

ReleasedJan 1, 1999
Runtime48m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelheavy

Top Cast

Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell

Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell

Ariana Stevens

Taungaroa Emile

Taungaroa Emile

Fred Stevens

Grant Boucher

Grant Boucher

Police Sergeant

Shimpal Lelisi

Shimpal Lelisi

Constable

Ask about Staunch

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Made for TVNZ's Montana Sunday Theatre, this was part of a wave of 1990s Māori-led storytelling that rarely broke internationally.

Trivia

Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell had just played Grace in Once Were Warriors (1994); this is her quieter, equally devastating follow-up.

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