Join Together - The New Zealand Commonwealth Games Story

This TVNZ doco chronicles New Zealand’s participation in 18 Empire and Commonwealth Games — beginning at Hamilton, Canada in 1930 when a Kiwi team of 18 participated in four sports. A cavalcade of gold medallists (including Yvette Williams, Dick Tayler, Anna Simcic and Neroli Fairhall) recall their glory days at the event which was set up to be “merrier and less stern” than The Olympics. Special emphasis is placed on the three New Zealand-hosted Games: at Auckland in 1950 and 1990, and Christchurch in 1974 (which hastened the local arrival of colour television).

A friend of mine, one of my best friends was working at Family Planning at the time and a man was going in for a vasectomy and she said, “Sorry, honey, you’re going to have to wait. My friend’s racing”. So this poor bugger’s waiting for his vasectomy and everyone puts it on hold to come and watch my race.

– Anna Simcic-Forrest, Gold medallist at the 1990 Auckland Games.

Key Cast & Crew

Andrea McVeigh

Director

Steven Orsbourn

Producer, Cinematographer

Paul Anderson

Editor

Jude Callen

Executive Producer

Peter Elliott

Narrator