Road to Wellington

Our health system is broken. Road to Wellington is a short documentary that follows grassroots activist Malcolm Mulholland on a journey across Aotearoa, rallying people against the crisis in the health system.

In just 18 days, he’ll drive from Stewart Island to Cape Rēinga, leading hīkoi in more than 30 cities. His journey will culminate in a march in Wellington, calling on the Crown to take urgent action. 

But this film is more than Malcolm’s road trip, it’s the story of why he travels. It begins in 2018, when his life was turned upside down by a routine check-up on his wife, Wiki. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

The drug she needed wasn’t funded by Aotearoa’s drug agency. So the couple decided to build a movement calling for reform. They led protests and delivered a 200,000-signature petition to Parliament. Change came, but too late. Wiki passed away in November 2021.

Malcolm carried on the fight. But months later, he too was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Surgery cost $60,000, possible only because of Wiki’s life insurance. Malcolm knows many New Zealanders don’t get that chance.

Over the years, he’s come to realise that health — and life — are privileges in Aotearoa. Those who can’t afford them are the ones who suffer most. That’s what sets Malcolm in motion. If it moves you too, come along!

Writer and Director
Daniel de Alemar

I’m a filmmaker from Brazil, now living in Aotearoa. I’m pursuing a Master’s in Screen Production at the University of Auckland, and this is my thesis project.

For Brazilians, New Zealand can feel like a promised land. But once you live here, you realise this country has its issues too. Sure, every country does — what feels unique here is the difficulty in confronting them. The health system crisis is one example.

Coming from a country with plenty of its own challenges, facing crisis isn’t new to me. That’s why I believe I bring a unique lens to capture this story, and an original voice to tell it.

Executive Producer
Mia Maramara

Producers
Vikram Singh
Wayne Lang

Advisors
Dr Mohi Rua
Dr Boyd Swinburn

Supervisors
Dr Shuchi Kothari
Dr Sarina Pearson

Our crew is volunteering their time, with the University of Auckland providing gear and facilities*. Malcolm’s kindly covering car costs, but we still need support for flights, food and accommodation.

If we go beyond our target, we’ll aim for an extra NZD $1,000 to cover two key needs: 

• Hard drives to secure footage 
• A second cinematographer to film the hīkoi to Parliament, a pivotal moment in the story.

We deeply appreciate every contribution. As a small gesture of thanks donors will be credited onscreen. Please share this project with your friends and whānau, and help us bring this important story to life.

*This project is part of a Master’s thesis at the University of Auckland. However, this crowdfunding campaign is being undertaken in my private capacity and is neither endorsed nor funded by the University of Auckland.

This will be an urgent, stripped-back production. I’ll jump in Malcolm’s car and we’ll hit the road. Just me, him, and his stepfather, Glenn, who's going to take the driver’s seat.

I’ll work fast, light, and rough. No lights. Minimal gear. Sound recorded straight into the camera. The result: shaky frames, imperfect light, raw sound. But instead of hiding these limits, we’ll use them.

The editing will embrace imperfections, with cuts following rhythm and emotion. The texture will feel like fragments of a personal record — rough, honest, alive. Just like Malcolm.

Aotearoa’s health system is broken. We’ve seen it fail our friends and whānau. We’ve felt those failings in our own bodies. For me, the question isn’t if the system is failing, but what we can do about it.

Malcolm’s journey is one answer. Whether or not he fills the streets of Wellington isn’t the point, what really matters is his decision to go there. Road to Wellington is about the choice to act, and what it asks of those who make it.

 

Rather than offering solutions, this framing empowers people. In an age of rising autocratic governments and corporations, that’s really important. No matter how powerful they are, no organisation can subjugate a people who recognise their own strength.