On 7 March 2020, Dean Hart – who grew up in Whangamata – broke the New Zealand land speed record, hitting 363.463km/h in a jet car he built himself. That record still stands.
This coming week, on Sunday 9 August at 4.30pm, Mercury Twin Cinemas will screen the feature film telling the story of how Dean built that jet car and the journey that led him to the record. The film is Trash 2 Dash. Even better, the film’s director and creator, Wayne Johnson, now a Whitianga local, will be present at the screening. And Wayne has arranged something very special: Dean Hart himself will attend the Sunday 4.30pm screening for a personal visit.
Wayne has lived in Whitianga for nearly two years. Semi retired now, he spent decades as a senior cameraman for TVNZ, working on news and documentaries. Trash 2 Dash has never been shown in Whitianga before, and Wayne will host this special event. All screenings of the film will raise funds to help MBAS students attend their school camp.
How the idea for the local screening began
“I saw a young lady walking dogs to raise funds for the school camp,” says Wayne. “After talking with her, I learned there were other young people also trying to raise funds. I got to thinking, ‘Why don’t they sell tickets to movies?’ I have a movie – a very good movie. We can sell tickets and raise money.”
Wayne approached Anne Maree McDougall at Mercury Twin Cinemas and Paul Maskery at MBAS, and the plan came together quickly. Every screening will contribute to camp fundraising.
How the movie itself began
“I met Dean Hart at RNZAF Whenuapai in 2015,” Wayne explains. “It was an unplanned meeting that led to this remarkable story. I was shooting another documentary at the time called Will It Fly? Dean came up to me and said, ‘I have something you might be interested in. Best you come and have a look. I’m building a jet car.’”
Wayne recalls seeing the car for the first time: something huge sticking out of a garage door, sitting at an angle because it didn’t fit inside. A massive engine filled the frame. “I thought, ‘This guy is crazy.’ But the proof, engineering, and determination were there.”
He began filming Dean as he built the car, started it for the first time, drove it for the first time, and ultimately broke the New Zealand land speed record at Ohakea Air Base. Dean still holds that record.
Why Trash 2 Dash?
“Everything in the car was basically second hand except the safety systems,” says Wayne. Dean adapted parts from all over the airbase. His track suit came from a retired race driver in England, and his fireproof underwear was bought from a Formula One team sale – previously worn by Yuki Tsunoda, the Red Bull F1 driver.
The film was shot over five years, and Wayne assembled it during Covid. “When it came to releasing it, all media and advertising were ready — then on the Sunday night before the premiere, Jacinda put us back into lockdown. The plans were benched.”
Dean’s story began long before the jet car. Growing up in Whangamata, he remembers standing in the school grounds watching RAF aircraft fly overhead and deciding he wanted to be up there.
Trash 2 Dash runs for one hour and 47 minutes.
Screening times
• 3.00pm – 6 August
• 1.30pm – 7 August
• 4.00pm – 8 August
• Special event with Wayne & Dean: 4.30pm – Sunday 9 August
• 7.00pm – Tuesday 11 August
• 3.30pm – Wednesday 12 August
