It took a lot of persuasion before Cassie Roma agreed to be part of The Apprentice Aotearoa. “As an American queer woman, to be associated with a brand that’s associated with you know who took a lot of convincing,” she says. “But, the production company and TVNZ put a lot of heart into it, saying, ‘This going to be a very Kiwi production. It’s going to have a different tone and tenor’. So I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll give it a go’.” Tom Hollow/Supplied Cassie Roma says she took some persuading to sign up for The Apprentice Aotearoa.