Taranaki Hard - First Season

(WHOOSH!)

(ENGINE REVS)

(ROCK MUSIC)

Waitara, also known as Dub-T.

- It's a hard town, it's a hard breed of people. I believe we are different.

You get townies, and then you get farmers, and then you get kids from Waitara.

- How many weeks are you now? - 35 weeks.

- That's how long me and the dad's been together. - (LAUGHS)

- That's it. That's the money shot. We got it. We've got it.

- I wanna earn more money than my husband. (LAUGHS)

Like, he can be a stay at home dad, and I'm gonna go to work.

- What's it like, having a boyfriend? Are they naughty?

- Hanging out, and then he wanted to kiss, and I said, 'OK.'

At the end, that was the first kiss I had.

- Selfie. - (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

- That's where the cows and that used to shit. Not no more — that's where all the rich people shit now.

- Yeah, she's my best friend. Yeah, she can be a bitch, but, you know,

we can all be bitches.

- Yeah, if you're from the Naki, man,

you're hard core.

Captions by Faith Hamblyn.

Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.

(WHISTLES)

Bitches always know that Axel really has a willy that he loves to show.

(HEAVY METAL MUSIC)

Yes! Holy shit.

Big fulla!

- I was pushing Hot Wheels around when I was crawling, you know?

Anything with a motor has just been a massive interest,

just that combustion side of it, almost, eh, like, you can somehow,

you can tip some fuel in the gas tank, turn the key, stab the loud pedal.

(HEAVY METAL MUSIC)

Whoo!

This is the family homestead. I've been here my whole life, growing up here.

I think I'm quite a manly man, and to Mum, I'm still a young little boy in nappies.

- Put a helmet on! - I can't hear ya!

- Put a helmet on! - No.

No.

- Please put a helmet on. - I will. I promise. - No, do it, Axel.

(MOTORBIKE ENGINE REVS)

- His father named him, actually, cos his dad's a bit of a petrolhead. I had a C-section,

and when I woke up, and he said, do you wanna meet Axel Dwayne Jr, and I said, 'Oh fuck.'

You know, he has spent over $8000 on fines.

He's lost his licence five times.

He's a fucking bogan. When he was a little boy,

he used to stand by the letter box and wee on people when they walked past.

- Mum was, like, 'Oh, tell him to put it away.' (CHUCKLES)

- They said, 'Oh, he's probably got ADHD, ' but he didn't.

He had ADD — absent dad disorder.

They split just after me.

I would have been quite little.

The hardest thing is he gave me his name as a middle name, you know, so every time I have to put my name,

it's Dwayne Jr. So if you wanted to piss off, mate, you could have taken it with you, you know?

I'm not angry at him; I'm just confused.

- OK. It looks like it's a baby. - Do you want a cuddle? - Aw.

- Yeah, I'll have a turn with the little little man. Sharing's caring, homie.

- Pass him to Axel, Jess, cos I'm just worried I'll drop him. - No, I'm not gonna drop him.

- No, well, you pass him to me. - Why do I get a crying baby? - (GRIZZLES)

Why do I get you crying, mate?

- What? - Hey, Chris.

- Now we have him for a while until he stops crying, eh? - Put him up on your shoulder.

- No. - They like that. - Why are you crying?

- Put him up on here. - You don't even got any tears, buddy.

- You don't even got any tears, mate. - Ooh, careful.

Watch his head, Axel. Christ's sake.

- A lot of people always make the joke,

'Holy shit, kid, you even talked like him. You walk like him. You hold your posture.'

And it's, like, how sick is that? How can you make that possible? I haven't seen you for 10 years.

Mate, I don't need you. I got what I want, mate.

You know, like, just a beer a pub would be nice, eh. Yeah.

(SPARSE PIANO MUSIC)

- There's not much opportunities open in Waitara.

Well, ANZCO, Methanex...

Yeah, it's not something that I'm really interested in.

You know, I like being in front of the camera. (GIGGLES)

Kia or a, whanau. I would just like to thank each and every one of you for following us.

I'm well known for my Facebook page, Keeping Up With The Waitarians.

It's created by me and three girls...

Shontoya, she's, like, the comedian girl.

She's a handful.

Nicole, she's more laid-back, chilled.

Ooh, and the scrape, though. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Then there's Ngas. She's, like, the Tip Top girl, the loudmouth, the one with her loud-as laughter.

- (BOTH LAUGH) - Here we go.

We just randomly come up with these catchphrases. It just goes viral.

Can't forget the mick, ladies.

- I'm famous for the Pump bottle video.

He's, like, 'Yeah, if you let me touch your mick, I'll give you a free bottle of mountain water.'

I said to him, 'For starters, I don't have a mick. I have a penis. I'm a man, not a woman.'

For a second, he was, like, 'Oh, nah, fuck that.'

Well, at the end of the day, I still got a free bottle of water, so I guess I won.

2.5 million views, baby! Whoo! That's what I'm talking about.

Obviously I'm the most popularist member. No lie about it. Hey, come on now.

If you think I'm big headed, well, too bad. Nah, cos it's true.

I am the popularist one in the group.

So big shout-out to our camera crew, our backstage people, who's mostly me,

and everyone else is amazing. Nah, just kidding. But, yeah, that's awesome.

Thank you guys so much. I really appreciate it.

- Mwah. What that good? - Yeah.

- I'm like Kylie Jenner in this town.

The poor one, not the rich one. (LAUGHS)

I love watching your videos!

- Yeah, I get recognised a lot for it.

At the moment, I'm working at a supermarket.

No, not today, kids. I'm on a shopping mission.

- And how has your day been, sir? - So far OK. - Nice.

- Is there a men's hairdresser out the valley any more? That one up in the corner's closed, eh?

- Men's hairdresser? - Yeah.

- I'm not entirely sure. I don't get my hair done here.

I feel that I'm not meant to be working at a supermarket.

I think I'm supposed to be doing more of my life.

I can't wait for the weekend.

Oh, those baps are really soft.

This is my favourite part.

I kind of doubt myself when I'm at work sometimes.

No one notices, no one sees that, you know, I'm pushing the cart,

and then I'm having a moment down the bread aisle which is, like, way down the end.

And I'm thinking, like, 'This is not what you're supposed to be doing.'

I'm supposed to be doing this and that. Then I'm, like... (SIGHS)

- I hate Countdown. - (LAUGHS)

- Not even with a passion. - (LAUGHS) Fuck, you're an idiot. How many weeks are you now?

- Five weeks. That's how long me and the dad's been together. - (LAUGHS)

Oh, fuck, yeah. You're fucked.

- Oh yeah. - (BOTH LAUGH)

Leon, wow, we go way back.

He's wild, yeah. Sometimes he can be a bit selfish, but it is what it is.

But nah, I really love him. Yeah.

- We're gonna go to Nan's tomorrow. - Yeah. I can't wait, cos she cooks food.

- (GIGGLES) Hang on. Wait. That might be Nicole and that.

(TINKLY MUSIC)

(LAUGHTER)

I love you.

Yeah. Love you.

- Never below you. - Always inside you. - Always inside you.

- Oh, my God, this is an ashtray cup! - Don't waste it.

- You're put dirtier things in your mouth. - (LAUGHTER)

- When we're all together, oh, it's crazy. It can be real wild. Arguing, bickering.

- I'm the godmother. When that baby comes out— - What do you mean?

I'm up the road. She lives in town now.

- Like, 'Oh, mate. Get me out of here.' Nah! (CHUCKLES) Are we allowed to opt out?

I'm a stay-home mum to one 3-year-old, and also another one due soon.

Yes, five more weeks. (LAUGHS)

It's been a bit wild, just trying to do everything on my own.

Like, housing, financial problems.

Yeah, I don't want my kids to have the upbringing I did.

I had a rough life.

Family violence was a big thing for me.

Alcohol, drugs, running away — Like, all that stuff.

Nah, I don't want my children to go through that ever.

I do have support. My uncle helps me out.

I think my midwife was a bit shocked, and I was, like, 'Oh, yeah, this is my uncle.'

- So does it make you ashamed that I say that to everybody? - About what?

That I'm a boy or I'm a man.

- Nah, I think that's cool. It's different. - No shame in the game.

- Nah. - Oh, cool. - So how's your love life?

- I actually got laid this year. - (BOTH LAUGH)

- Sit on their face and go, 'Yeah, Mama!' You know. - Oh, cousin!

- What about your love life? - Oh, mate. It's crazy.

- Nah. - I know, girl. - Yeah.

Nah, just after what happened last year.

Me and my ex,

yeah, just kind of got out of hand,

where I just called up my best friend's mum, 'Can you come pick us up?' (CHUCKLES)

'I've just had enough.' Yeah. So, he's actually in jail at the moment.

I haven't heard from him yet.

- And you wanna go back to that? - Yeah. Yeah. - That's so... Out the gate.

- That's why I say when are you going gay? - I'd never go gay, sis.

- Why? - Never in a million years.

- There's some nice girls out there. Why are you blushing?

- Oh! - (BOTH LAUGH)

- You're gonna go back to him? You're gonna go back to him? - Yeah, most likely.

I don't like what's happened; I hate what's happened.

- There are some great men out there, really, yeah.

But when they start being forceful and doing B&E's, that's when... You know?

- And I do want him to be a part of baby's life.

I suppose everyone deserves a second chance. (CHUCKLES)

- Go gay, mate. I really would like you to go gay. - (LAUGHS)

- Cos for me personally, I know I just want you to be happy and your children to be happy.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Go gay.

- Yeah, no. I just want a better future for my kids and myself.

I deserve it. (CHUCKLES)

- Back in the day, I think Waitara what was a place where you're OK when it came to work,

kind of like a little city, really, you know, a little bit of hustle and bustle back then.

It was alive. (CHUCKLES) After a while, businesses started to close down,

and it kind of became like a ghost town.

Waitara's strong. It's a strong little place.

I look at all the families and that and the young ones that have moved away from here,

and a lot of them are coming home. I wonder why.

I mean, you think, 'What are they coming home for? There's nothing here.'

Maybe it's just Waitara.

(ELECTRONIC MUSIC)

Morena, son. Time to get up now.

- (MUTTERS) - Hmm? It's, like, half past 10, man. (CHUCKLES)

- Just making sure — That's important.

I wanna get a job, but, um, one of my favourite things in life is music.

Music takes me off to another world, where I see myself differently.