First Person Fired From The Apprentice New Zealand

Kim Laurenson is the first contestant to be fired by ‘The Boss’ Terry Serepisos in the New Zealand version of The Apprentice.

Laurenson stepped up to project manage Team Athena in the first challenge of the series, in which the contestants were tasked with devising a strategy to raise the most money from a sausage sizzle, situated in central Auckland.

The boys team, Number 8 won the challenge, sending Team Athena to the boardroom, where Laurenson and team mates Catherine Livingston and Kirsty Parkhill were placed in the line of fire.

Laurenson was charged with not taking leadership of the team, letting them fall into disarray. She disagrees, saying she kept up clear communication and instruction at all times.

“I worked accordingly to the girls, and communicated with them very openly…every time I sought instruction from them to see how they were feeling and if they knew what their job was, I was told ‘yes’.”

However team mates Livingston and Parkhill successfully fought their case and Laurenson was fired, for what Serepisos cites as her in inability to follow through on the task.

For more information on The Apprentice New Zealand visit www.tvnz.co.nz/apprenticenz.

The Apprentice New Zealand continues on Tuesdays 7.30pm, TV2, where the remaining 13 contestants compete to become the apprentice to Wellington businessman Terry Serepisos, with a salary package worth $200,000.

The remaining contestants are: David Wyatt (Auckland), Paul Natac (Auckland), Thomas Ben (Auckland), Chris Whiteside (Christchurch), Daniel Phillips (Auckland), Lee Davis (Christchurch), Richard Henry (Auckland), Karen Reid (Auckland), Linda Slade (Christchurch), Catherine Livingston (Auckland), Nicky Clarke (Auckland), Meena Chhagen (Wellington) and Kirsty Parkhill (Wellington).