Films and TV series shot or produced in Auckland include Amazon Prime's The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. Photo / Prime Video
Films and TV series shot or produced in Auckland include Amazon Prime's The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. Photo / Prime Video
Auckland’s screen industry is now worth more than $1.5 billion a year, overcoming stiff competition and the Covid-19 pandemic’s challenges.
Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle have cast some gloom in recent weeks but the industry’s backers are confident the sector has enough resilience to bounce back.
Screen Auckland said 8400 peoplewere employed in the industry last year, up from 7500 the year before.
Data released to the Herald also showed the value of Auckland post-production surged by 14 per cent last year, making it the fastest-growing part of the industry.
Production was close behind and increased in economic value by 13 per cent last year.
The increases easily outstripped inflation and Screen Auckland manager Matt Horrocks said the city and its surrounds offered facilities and locations that were hard to beat.
Director James Cameron behind the scenes of 20th Century Studios' Avatar: The Way of Water. Photo / 20th Century Studios
West Auckland, home to some studios and popular shooting locations, was hurt badly in the late January floods and during the cyclone.
“Obviously our producers are used to being nimble. For the most part they’ve been able to delay or readjust production schedules,” Horrocks said.
“The biggest impacts have been on the people who work in the sector.”
Many people in the industry lived in west coast neighbourhoods such as Piha and Muriwai, and Horrocks said Screen Auckland was focused on supporting those who needed help after the weather disasters.
Recent data indicated Auckland’s screen industry added more value to the economy than the sector in all other cities and regions combined.
Horrocks said many Kiwis might not have previously known the city was New Zealand’s screen production hub.
He said producers of new science fiction comedy horror film M3GAN cited capable crews, a sense of community and beautiful locations as reasons for shooting in Auckland.
Other major recent productions included The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Avatar: The Way of Water.
Screen Auckland is part of council-controlled organisation Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.
“Engagement for our sector with the most senior levels of Auckland Council is a key priority,” Horrocks said.
Auckland’s new mayor, Wayne Brown, had abrasive relations with Ports of Auckland but Horrocks said Screen Auckland had received positive feedback from the mayor.
Director James Cameron behind the scenes of Avatar: Way of Water. Photo / 20th Century Studios
He said Brown attended an opening ceremony at Auckland Film Studios last year and voiced support for the industry and highlighted its importance to the city.
Two new sound stages, each about 2000sq m, were opened in December. The Government supplied $30 million and Auckland Council chipped in with $7.5m for the stages.
Horrocks said it was important not to get parochial or view things purely through the lens of an Auckland-Wellington competition.
“We’re very much a part of Team New Zealand.”
Screen Auckland manager Matt Horrocks says the city's success in film and TV is of benefit to the whole country. Photo / Supplied
He said the two cities could complement each other.
“Auckland is sheer critical mass in terms of skilled crew. Wellington is obviously strong in post-production.”
The most recent Avatar movie also tapped into the cities’ complementary assets, with live-action photography in both cities, and different studios used for different scenes.
The Screen Auckland economic data was sourced from Stats NZ, Infometrics and NZIER.
In 2018, the industry was worth less than $1 billion, but had since recorded significant gains every year, outperforming overall GDP growth.
