DEGANZ Watch List: Cops, Culture and a Rugby Icon
This week, we’ve got a new crime drama series, the trailer for the highly anticipated feature doco Lomu, a new music video from a local artist, and a new factual tele-special!
DEGANZ member Max Currie leads the lineup with Bust Up, a fresh take on the buddy-cop crime genre, while Vea Mafile’o (DEGANZ) and co-director Gavin Fitzgerald’s Lomu offers an intimate portrait of one of the most iconic figures in rugby history ahead of its NZIFF premiere.
Director and editor Gwen Lin (DEGANZ) brings a distinctive visual style to local musician Lehali’s music video for her new electronic dance pop song ‘@kateshepp_1893.’ Meanwhile, fellow member Fa’alava’au Jeremiah Tauamiti’s tele special 400 Weddings and a Funeral, edited by Debbie Matthews (DEGANZ), celebrates the humour, heart and cultural significance of Pasifika ceremonies in Aotearoa.
Check them out below:
Bust Up
Crime Drama Series
Directors: Max Curries and Awanui Simich-Pene
A bold six-part one-hour crime drama, Bust Up puts a fresh spin on the buddy-cop genre: the two cops at the centre of the story are ex-lovers. Starring Morgana O’Reilly (The White Lotus, Housebound) and Roimata Fox (A Remarkable Place To Die, The Wrecking Crew), the series follows former romantic partners Deb Brighton and Mihi Renata, who are unexpectedly reunited after a decade apart and forced to work side‑by‑side as police officers in the small fictional town of Waitote, the garden gnome capital of Aotearoa. Together, the pair must navigate a series of crimes as bizarre as they are dangerous, and as the stakes escalate, so does the emotional tension, pushing Deb and Mihi to confront the unresolved feelings they’ve spent years trying to bury.
Available to stream on Neon.
Lomu
Feature Documentary Trailer
Directors: Vea Mafile’o and Gavin Fitzgerald
Ahead of its Aotearoa premiere in NZIFF as the festival’s centrepiece film, the trailer for feature documentary Lomu has been released. The film is a powerful and compelling portrait of the man behind the legend, Jonah Lomu, the most adored son of the Pacific, a legendary All Black, who transcended the game with his immense power and unstoppable determination.
@kateshepp_1893
Music Video
Director, DOP, and Editor: Gwen Lin
The official music video for ‘@kateshepp_1893’ by local artist Lehali. Shot on location in the Hamilton Gardens.
400 Weddings and a Funeral
Factual Series
Director: Fa’alava’au Jeremiah Tauamiti
Editor: Debbie Matthews
Join hosts Bella Kalolo and Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson on a cultural deep dive into Pasifika weddings and funerals in Aotearoa! It’s packed with laughs, traditions, and insights from iconic Pasifika personalities.
Available to watch on TVNZ+.
Last updated on 4 June 2026
