Film and television producer John Barnett has died aged 80.
In a statement to the Herald, South Pacific Pictures, where Barnett worked as managing director from 1992-2015, paid tribute to “a stalwart of the NZ film and television industry”.
“John led South Pacific Pictures (SPP) for almost two decades, championing uniquely Kiwi stories to the screen, and building a robust film and television business – one that continues to deliver because of the incredible base he built.”
SPP chief executive Kelly Martin credited Barnett for his dedication to the local industry and undeniable influence.
“He was devoted to our industry in a way that is impossible to quantify, and he shared with many different people in many different ways.
“He loved to nurture and grow talent, and there is a long list of NZ practitioners who John influenced. We send much love to John’s close friends and family at this time.”
Andrew Szusterman, managing director of SPP, added that Barnett’s understanding of local audiences was unparalleled.
“John understood audiences and what the public wanted he delivered. We are all as an industry indebted to a man who wanted to entertain all of NZ.
“He accomplished that and has left a legacy that we at SPP will continue to nourish and cherish.”
Barnett began his career in NZ film and television in 1973.
His first foray into producing was on the children’s fantasy show The Games Affair, shot in conjunction with the 1974 Commonwealth Games in NZ.
His career spanned five decades and saw him work as producer and executive producer on some of the most iconic and highest-grossing titles in Aotearoa film and television history, including Shortland Street, Footrot Flats and the award-winning film Whale Rider.
Barnett was also made a Companion of the NZ Order of Merit for services to film and television in 2019.
Speaking to the Herald in 2017, a 72-year-old Barnett told Greg Bruce he had no disappointments and didn’t believe in dwelling on the past.
“I heard this quote the other day that I thought really summed it up. ‘You look to the possibility of success rather than the fear of failure.’
“And I think that fear of failure rules far too many decisions in far too many organisations. You don’t get anything if you’re scared of failure.”
Following the news of his death, the Herald has taken a look back at some of Barnett’s biggest successes in film and television and where they can be watched now.
Barnett served as producer on the award-winning 2002 film Whale Rider.
He described the film as one of the greatest achievements of his career.
“You love all the children that you make, but certainly the world-wide success of Whale Rider has been enormously satisfying," he told RNZ in 2019.
“We didn’t expect that it would have the success that it did.
“I never had any doubt that it would resonate with people, and that the story was an international story, but the way that it was taken up and accepted by the world was very gratifying.”
The film is still one of New Zealand’s most successful films, grossing $50 million internationally and earning an Academy Award Best Actress nomination for star Keisha Castle-Hughes.
Castle-Hughes shared her tribute to Barnett on her Instagram today, referring to the producer as “Uncle Barnie”.
“Your vision for our film and television industry was nothing short of extraordinary - you challenged us all to rise to meet you there, and to believe that we could. That belief changed me, and it has shaped us all.
“What a legacy you leave behind.”
The film went on to receive an Audience Choice award at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals and a Bafta Children’s award.
Whale Rider is available to stream on Netflix NZ, Apple TV, Prime Video and TVNZ+.
During his more than 20 years at the head of NZ screen company South Pacific Pictures, Barnett served as executive producer for long-running hospital drama Shortland Street.
Barnett described SPP’s flagship show Shortland Street as a major factor in helping New Zealanders accept the drama genre to a degree that had not happened before.
“Shortland Street has been the driver of a whole lot of the on-screen success that we’ve seen,” he told The Spinoff in 2022.
“All that great TV [we made] over the past 25 years has been very much driven by the fact that people began and worked on the soap that played night after night.”
He believes an entire generation of Aotearoa film and television wouldn’t exist without it. “Sione’s [Wedding] and the Sione’s sequel couldn’t have happened without Shortland Street,” he told Chris Schulz at the time.
“Outrageous [Fortune], Westside, Go Girls … these are things that might not have happened without Shortland Street.”
Airing since 1992, the series has won many film and television awards in NZ and helped launch the careers of global stars like Martin Henderson, Rose McIver, Temuera Morrison and KJ Apa.
Shortland Street is available to watch on TVNZ+.
Featuring Dave Dobbyn’s Slice of Heaven and You Oughta Be In Love, Footrot Flats - The Dog’s Tale was the biggest NZ film of the 80s.
Barnett worked as a producer on Footrot Flats and worked closely with cartoonist Murray Ball on its creation.
Speaking to the Herald in 2017 after Ball’s passing, Barnett shared his memories of the show’s creation and legacy.
“All of his characters had elements of Murray in them. He reached more New Zealanders than nearly any other commentator, cartoonist and humorist, but he didn’t seek the limelight. He let those wonderful characters speak for him.
“And they continue to live on and entertain new generations.”
The film recently made a comeback to the big screen at the Wellington Animation Film Festival in March 2025.
You can watch excerpts of Footrot Flats: A Dog’s Tale on NZ On Screen, though the full-length film is not currently available to stream.
Executive producer on Sione’s Wedding, Barnett admitted it was one of his hardest projects to get off the ground, telling the Herald in 2006 that not everyone saw the vision for telling Pacific stories on a global level.
“It took a while because not everybody could see that it was going to have a wide appeal - some people told me it would be very limited, but I never had any doubt,” the film-maker said.
Starring Oscar Kightley, Pua and Robbie Magasiva, Teuila Blakely and Madeleine Sami, it was nominated for several awards at the 2006 Air NZ Screen Awards, including Best Picture, Director and Screenplay.
You can watch Sione’s Wedding on TVNZ+ for free or rent it on Prime Video, YouTube or Google Play.
West Auckland drama, Outrageous Fortune, was picked up internationally and earned multiple award nominations and wins in NZ, including for stars Robyn Malcolm, Antony Starr and Antonia Prebble.
Barnett, who was executive producer on the series, told the Herald its success ultimately came down to telling a relatable character’s story well.
“Yes, they’re NZ stories and yes, they’re NZ characters and yes, they’re set here, but the same emotions are the emotions that people see everywhere else and that’s what makes them. No one buys them because they NZ shows.
“All of these shows are about life and they’re about hate and they’re about jealousy and they’re about success and they’re about loss and they’re about victory and defeat, and those are the things that happen in people’s lives.”
The show also sparked a spin-off titled Scoundrels.
All six seasons of Outrageous Fortune are available to stream on TVNZ+.