First Hand - Out of Work

Television (Full Length Episode) – 1992

After being made redundant, Mike James becomes one of thousands searching for a new employer in Auckland. This episode of documentary series First Hand chronicles the instability faced by the accountant and his family. With their savings dwindling, plans for kids' sports teams and wife Margaret’s prospective tertiary study must be seriously reconsidered. This episode was directed by Seth Keen, who directed further television documentaries (Godzone Sheep) before going on to lecture in new media at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

I just felt really excited and driven, and I thought this just feels neat, I just want to get in here and do something like this, I really want to do more study. I didn't get a chance to get any further because I think within a couple of days he came home with the news that his job was finished.
– Margaret James, on the impact her husband's redundancy has had on her plans for study