"This is an exciting time for the screen sector in Auckland. While productions such as Shannara are attracted by the world-class expertise of our film crews and employ hundreds of those people directly, they also create jobs in supporting service sectors such as transport, security, accommodation, food and beverage, and by supporting local suppliers of timber, paint and other materials."
It is set to be a boom year for Auckland's industry, with Shannara and the new Power Ranges series among four significant Auckland-based international productions either in pre-production, shooting, or wrapping in early 2015.
In addition, several major New Zealand productions will begin in Auckland this year - including Lee Tamahori and Robin Scholes collaboration The Patriarch. Many of the domestic productions have the support of the New Zealand Film Commission or NZ On Air.
O'Riley says the Government's improved tax incentives for international productions announced last year were important in boosting New Zealand's global competitiveness, but that is just part of the picture.
"Auckland and the North Island's fantasy genre locations are internationally unique, and another draw card for Shannara's producers was Auckland's reputation for world-class fast turnaround filming based on a history of shows such as Xena, Spartacus and Power Ranges. They know they don't need to bring in talent, it's all here."
