Orange Roughies was a 'border security' drama series following a Police and Customs task force led by Danny Wilder (Australian actor Nicholas Coughan). Made for TV One, the ScreenWorks production was likely inspired by Australian television hit Water Rats. Set in and around Auckland Harbour, it featured storylines involving drug busts, child trafficking, undercover ops and plenty of land-sea chase action. The show was created by Rod Johns and former policeman Scott McJorrow. The script team was rounded out by Kristen Warner and series writer Greg McGee.

In this 2007 short, a young refugee boy is smuggled out of an unnamed European country. When he realises he and his companion are victims of people trafficking, he faces an untenable choice. Cargo was produced as director Leo Woodhead’s graduating film while completing a masters in film at Auckland University. A collaboration with Czech cinematographer Martin Priess led to a student exchange with FAMU in Prague and saw the film shot in the Czech Republic. It premiered at Venice Film Festival, before a successful (London, Tribeca, Telluride) festival run.

Orange Roughies was a 'border security' drama series following a Police and Customs task force in Auckland.  Storylines included drugs busts, undercover ops and plenty of motorised chase action. In this excerpt from the first episode, customs officer Jane Durant (McLeod's Daughters actor Zoe Naylor) boards a ship suspected of trafficking children from China. The TV One series was devised by ex policeman Scott McJorrow and Rod Johns, for production company ScreenWorks.