New documentary explores rise and fall of former MP Jami-Lee Ross

A sales gig for a cult.

Documentary filmmaker Tony Sutorius said that’s how former MP Jami-Lee Ross sees the world of professional politics.

“Similar to real estate sales – it’s his job and every politician’s job to take the [party’s] agreed policies and sell them … whether he believes in the policies, he doesn’t consider it essential. He considers it naive for politicians to believe every thing they say – I’m interested in that. I think [he’s] onto something,” Sutorius said.

On Tuesday, the Porirua-based producer-director will release a 25-minute observational documentary, Elements of Truth which charts the rise, fall and aftermath of Ross’ election campaign as co-leader of Advance New Zealand.

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The film, produced by Hex Work Productions for the Spinoff, was mostly shot in the 17 days leading up to the 2020 election, and includes never-before-seen footage of Tova O’Brien’s explosive post-election interview with Ross.

Ross, who was elected as a member of National in 2011, infamously resigned from the party’s caucus in 2018 after accusing then-leader Simon Bridges of corruption, releasing secretly recorded conversations with him, and then becoming embroiled in allegations of his own.

He sat in Parliament as an independent, and in 2020 established Advance NZ, which merged with Billy Te Kahika’s conspiracy-aligned NZ Public party that opposed 5G, fluoride, vaccine mandates and 1080 poison.

Advance NZ received less than 1% of the party vote at the election, and none of its candidates won an electorate seat, meaning Ross lost his seat in Parliament.

Sutorius approached Ross about making a documentary looking at what the politician was trying to achieve by getting involved in what seemed to be such a fringe political movement.

Ross ummed and ahhed but eventually came around to the idea of being recorded, having seen Sutorius’ earlier political film Campaign (1996).

The result was intimate access to an MP who, after being through what he called psychological care and self-development was “in the mood to speak honestly … about a dishonest profession,” Sutorius said.

During the shoot Ross openly referred to the big political parties as cults, and their members having to get on board with drinking their party’s Kool-Aid.

“In his view, that is what politics is. … What [MPs] believe is incidental … they have to get out and sell whatever the cult [says].”

He insists Elements of Truth is a fun film which political insiders will find humour in, if only for the striking feeling of recognition about what happened at the election and the familiarity of Ross’ story.

Going in, Sutorius didn’t know much about Ross other than his unusual public persona.

In the process he learnt about Ross’ impoverished upbringing that ended in his getting a scholarship to Dilworth School.

He was also struck by how Ross’ Māori heritage was not a prominent part of his political identity, and his gentle in-person vibe that eclipsed his bolshie reputation.

Sutorius didn’t feel the power dynamic between filmmaker and subject was ever exploited, nor did he consider Ross vulnerable, adding the MP sincerely engaged with him, and sincerely wanted others to understand.

“I’m very well aware, and Jami-Lee Ross is aware of how he’s widely perceived. But he has an interesting character. He doesn’t appear to feel sorry for himself.

“He fundamentally thinks what he did, in particular the stand against Simon Bridges … was taking a stand against cult-like expectations that politics insists on, and he’s quite proud of it. I don’t have a horse in the race, but it’s an interesting point of view worth thinking about.”

The documentary shines a light on the question of what we expect of our politicians, and how sincere we want them to be, Sutorius said.

He used Jacinda Ardern and Auckland mayor Wayne Brown as two “violently opposite” examples of politicians who had been scrutinised for sincere dispositions.

“We think it’s what we want, we act like it’s what we want, but we really don’t. If we want politicians to tell the truth, how come those politicians get pummelled? … It creates perhaps an unavoidable need for hypocrisy and dishonesty.”

In the end, if politicians think they need to lie, Sutorius said that is the public’s responsibility.

“We know we won’t reward [sincerity]. We project our hypocrisy onto these people and crucify them.

“When I was in the back of the studio of The Nation watching Tova just gut him … I didn’t feel it was unfair, but I didn’t feel exactly happy. It was sort of like justice, but it also felt just a bit sad.”

• Elements of Truth goes live on the Spinoff at 6.30pm on Tuesday, February 21