Today is the New Zealand premier (in fact the southern hemisphere premier) of Kiwi Connections, the two-part TV production which takes a look NZ’s preparations  for the Rugby World Cup later in the year.

The programmes are based on the tenuous idea of touring around the various venues that Wales will be playing at during the Rugby World Cup, taking a look at what each venue / region has to offer and interviews a few Welsh expats along the way. If I say so myself (and I was the executive producer) I think it works quite well as a concept and, more importantly, so did Tourism New Zealand who paid all the in-country costs. Happy face. How I managed to get this into production will be the subject of another blog post.

The programmes had screened in the UK on ITV Wales on successive Wednesdays (in a prime slot after Coronation Street) earlier in the year and I ‘d also sold the programmes to Maori Television in New Zealand to be screened the week before the Rugby World Cup so this was genuinely the New Zealand premier. 

But not in some swanky cinema or suave restaurant I’m afraid. No, no no, the venue was a mates house, just off Long Drive in St Heliers.  Twenty guests were invited  and between episodes we enjoyed a BBQ and the use of the neighbour’s pool. Not a red carpet or tuxedo anywhere to be seen.
All guests appeared to enjoy themselves (it was, after all, a very receptive audience, with several guests featuring in the programmes) and I felt  a paternal sense of happiness as I basked in the minor glow of small screen success (of sorts).