Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett of Wētā FX. The company's work on "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has been recognised with a Best Visual Effects Oscar nomination. Photos / 20th Century Studios, Supplied, Getty
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett of Wētā FX. The company's work on "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has been recognised with a Best Visual Effects Oscar nomination. Photos / 20th Century Studios, Supplied, Getty
New Zealand-based creatives have secured multiple Oscar nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards.
Wētā FX, represented by five-time winner Joe Letteri and past winners Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, has been nominated for Best Visual Effects for work on director James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Thetrio said they were “deeply honoured” by the nominations, and paid tribute to Cameron for his commitment to making films in New Zealand and investing in local talent and creative innovation.
More than 1200 Wētā FX crew members contributed to the film, the third in the billion-dollar-grossing Avatar series, which was shot primarily in New Zealand.
“This recognition belongs to every artist, technician and collaborator who contributed to the film – from the live-action crew and performance-capture teams to everyone at Wētā FX,” the trio said.
“It is a privilege to represent the wider New Zealand film community on the world stage.”
Matt Aitken, Wētā FX’s head of VFX, added that to have the company’s work recognised by peers in the Academy in a year with such strong competition made them “exceptionally proud”.
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" has secured a Best Visual Effects nomination thanks to the team at Wētā FX. Photo / 20th Century Studios
Under American designer Deborah L Scott’s guidance, Wētā Workshop (a separate entity from Wētā FX) designed and created more than 2000 physical costume items for Avatar: Fire and Ash, which was nominated for best costuming.
Also nominated in that category was Netflix horror Frankenstein and former Wellington School of Design student Kate Hawley, whose previous work includes costuming for TV show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.
Hawley designed costumes for the Guillermo Del Toro-directed film. Star Jacob Elordi has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Kate Hawley (third from left) pictured with "Frankenstein" director Guillermo del Toro (centre), and cast members Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac among others.
Hawley’s work on Frankenstein won Best Costume Design at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Hawley also worked with Del Toro on his films Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak.
Last year, she was crowned the inaugural Costume Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council and told RNZ she was grateful to New Zealand for the opportunities it had given her as a costume designer.
“Every experience, individual, culture … every project shapes my approach to costume design,” she said.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, March 16 (NZDT). It will be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien for the second year in a row.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.
