The Woke Apprentice About to Debut
April 19, 2021 
6 Comments
TVNZ 1 has announced The Apprentice Aotearoa will screen on Monday nights from May 10.
Presumably it will be in the same 8.30 slot where the UK version tanked so badly last year that the network had to burn it off in double-episodes.
The Kiwi incarnation sounds incredibly ‘woke’ compared to the Donald Trump original, from its title to the choice of co-hosts to the way it’s being promoted “with hopes of inspiring and mentoring emerging business people rather than pillory” (as Stuff reported in a story it headlined, “The Apprentice Aotearoa to be ‘the opposite’ to Trump-style business“).
Here’s the media release announcing Mike Pero’s co-hosts:
Cassie Roma and Justin Tomlinson named as The Apprentice Aotearoa advisors
Cassie Roma and Justin Tomlinson will be joining CEO Mike Pero in the boardroom as his advisors, as they look to find an apprentice from 14 hopeful candidates when the show premieres Monday 10th May on TVNZ 1.
Heading off with each week with the teams, the advisors will be watching their interactions closely during the tasks and reporting back to the CEO before a decision is made to let someone go.
Before the launch of her own company CR&Co, Cassie held roles at businesses like Air New Zealand, ANZ Bank, The Warehouse Group, Mighty River Power and NZME where she crafted and drove the content marketing, social media and storytelling strategies of some of the most innovative and iconic brands globally and across the APAC region.
On taking on the role, Cassie said: “as a queer, female entrepreneur, and as a leader who believes wholly in kindness as being the biggest strength in growing strong, ethical and sustainable brands – being an advisor to the CEO on The Apprentice Aotearoa has been an honour and a wild ride to boot.
“And, what’s The Apprentice without fireworks? I hope everyone tunes in and loves seeing business undertaken in a very Kiwi way.”
Since moving to Aotearoa in 2016, JT’s worked with NZ Rugby, MMC Ltd and Sky NZ, where he’s held advisory, interim executive, investor, and board positions. These days he works in his own company, Delivery Craft with Boards, CEO’s, Founders, and executives to help them think, work and be innovative using modern technology and cutting-edge delivery approaches.
“Promoting entrepreneurship and the courage that takes, along with being able to use my real-world skills was a unique and unforgettable experience. Being able to make a positive contribution to the journey of the contestants was vital to me, Cassie and Mike and we look forward to the show and to seeing how these individuals progress their admirable ambitions” JT said on the experience.
The show is a money can’t buy training for our budding entrepreneurs, as the knowledge they gain from the business heavyweight and advisors can be applied to their own career path in the real world.
The business-themed reality series will showcase entrepreneurs being put through their paces in a series of tasks, before entering the boardroom for what will be the toughest interview process around.
Who will be fired, and who will be hired this May?
The Apprentice Aotearoa premieres Monday 10th May on TVNZ 1.
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April 19, 2021 at 7:37 pm
Is there any appetite for this sort of nonsense in 2021? Hopefully the new state broadcasting model will ditch TVNZ and concentrate on true non-commercial public broadcasting.
The Woke Apprentice .. hahaha love it!
The Apprentice Aotearoa: Don’t they know the name is The Apprentice New Zealand?
What’s wrong with Aotearoa? Maori is an official language of Aotearoa. How does having Maori in the title card make it woke and what’s so wrong with having Te Reo Maori in it?
Some people prefer not seeing this and clearly you don’t seem to know that not everyone is supportive of the Maori Language and references that are for some reason becoming everywhere.
For the millionth time it’s an official language of this country.