Predating hit show Survivor, this early TV3 reality TV documentary saw Kiwi teens fending for themselves over eight days on Rakitu Island. Among the three females and three males facing off Lord of the Flies-style were future National MP Nikki Kaye, who later argued she was meant to represent the "private school girl who couldn't survive without a hairdryer". Instead Kaye took the leader’s role and clubbed an eel, while many of her companions showed little inclination to help with the fishing. Kaye later opposed her party’s proposal to mine on nearby Great Barrier Island.
It taught me about human nature, how everyone deals [differently] with crises. It taught me what hunger felt like.– Nikki Kaye reflects on the show while on the campaign trail, in a 4 May 2008 NZ Herald interview
Frame Up Films
Made with funding from NZ On Air
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