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Gone up North for a While

Television (Full Length) – 1972

After a young woman (Denise Maunder) falls pregnant, she decides to go against the tide of advice from her family and unsympathetic welfare authorities by keeping her baby. Misery and hardship ensues. Director Paul Maunder brought kitchen sink drama to Kiwi television with this controversial, award-winning National Film Unit production. The story can claim to have effected change, stirring up debate about offering a Domestic Purposes Benefit for single mothers. Keep an eye out for a young Paul Holmes as a wannabe lothario. Maunder touches on making it in this piece, while critic Costa Botes provides more detail here

...when it was shown there was quite a response from the public. Not too long after, the DPB [Domestic Purposes Benefit] was brought in. I think it probably did have an influence.
– Gone Up North director Paul Maunder, in 2010 TV series 50 Years of New Zealand Television

Acknowledgements

Achives New Zealand Reference: W3471/6061 (16BW431E)
Source format: 16mm motion picture film

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