Hope and Wire

Hope and Wire debuted on TV3 in July 2014, roughly three years after Christchurch's most destructive earthquake. Some felt it too early to revisit the tragedy; others praised the drama's sensitivity and "nearly seamless" mix of fact and fiction. Originally screened in three 90-minute parts, this portrait of a city in recovery was built around 11 characters, from fractured families to selfish skinheads. Writer/director Gaylene Preston and writer Dave Armstrong mixed footage from the quake zone with scenes where actors directly address the viewer. In this excerpt from her 2022 autobiography, Preston charts how the show came to be.