Summaries

A Kafkaesque comedy based on the true story of one man's David-and-Goliath battle with the biggest bureaucracy of all - the tax department. He wins, they lose!

Details

Keywords
  • bureaucracy
  • tax
Genres
  • Drama
Release date Nov 7, 2007
Countries of origin New Zealand
Official sites Official site
Language English
Filming locations New Zealand
Production companies South Pacific Pictures

Box office

Gross worldwide $120464

Tech specs

Runtime
Color Color
Aspect ratio

Synopsis

In February 1994, Christchurch businessman Dave Henderson walked into the Inland Revenue Department. He was not a happy man. His girlfriend had recently been there to collect a refund Daves company was owed. An IRD staff member made some suggestive commentsto her. Dave told the IRD officer that if he ever talked to one of his employees like that again he would kick his fat arse from one end of Cashel Street to the other.

And so began a saga of Kafkaesque and yet comedic proportions.But Dave refused to give in. He kept fighting.

He also kept both his sense of humour and his records - of every surreal phone conversation; of every demand; of every piece of paper.

He kept fighting until his battle reached the very highest levels of Government.

And finally, four years after the comedy of errors began, Dave Henderson won.

Dave got his life and his business back together. And in a final ironic two-fingered salute, he bought the building which houses the South Island head office of the IRD.

And renamed it Henderson House.

Were Here to Help is a Kafkaesque comedy based on the true story of one mans David-and-Goliath battle with the biggest bureaucracy of all the tax department.

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