Kaitaia cinema to open after 20 years

By the time the next school holidays roll around, Kaitaia folk should be able to watch movies on the big screen for the first time in more than 20 years.
In 1990 Kaitaia's Princess Theatre, the northernmost in New Zealand, was gutted in a massive blaze.
Since then the town has been without a cinema, the nearest being the now closed Swamp Palace at Oruru.
But that is set to change come July with a revamped Little Theatre due to open in the new Te Ahu complex.
The cinema will be run by Mark and Ingrid Galloway, owners of Kerikeri's Cathay Cinemas, in partnership with Te Ahu Trust and the Far North District Council.
The 110-seat Little Theatre was part of Kaitaia's community centre but has been "totally revamped" with new seats, carpet and air conditioning, and fitted with a screen and projection box.
The theatre would be equipped with the latest in digital projectors, which Mr Galloway said provided a better image and sound than traditional 35mm film, delivered more light to the screen, and didn't scratch.
Best of all, the much lower distribution costs of digital versus 35mm - a courier fee for delivering a portable hard drive, compared to $1500 for making a film print - meant Kaitaia would get new releases as soon as the big theatres in Auckland.
Until the advent of digital technology a cinema of Te Ahu's size would be well down the list for new releases, Mr Galloway said.
The aim was to have movies showing in time for the July school holidays.
While the cinema itself was 95per cent ready, it would depend on rest of the complex, which is currently a building site and off-limits to the public.
The revamped Little Theatre still had a stage and full backstage facilities, and would be used for theatre and community events roughly 60 days a year.
During school holidays it would be a dedicated cinema with four screenings a day. Films would also screen most nights it was not needed for community events.
Mr Galloway said Kaitaia residents might take a while to get used to having a cinema again, but he was confident it would be a success. "We get a lot of people coming down to Kerikeri from Kaitaia."
Kerikeri's three-screen cinema was also going digital but not until late this year.
"Where the whole world is going, Kaitaia is going to get there earlier," he said.
The Galloways will supply the movies and train staff, while the council and Te Ahu Trust will staff the ticket counter and snack bar, along with the rest of the complex.
Mayor Wayne Brown has said he hoped the rest of the complex could open in November.
Kaitaia's Princess Theatre burned down in April 1990. A report by the Northland Age described how firefighters battled for three hours to save the building. Firefighter Colin Kitchen - then third officer, now fire chief - had to use an axe to smash a door to get inside the theatre, where the heat was so intense it melted one side of his visor. The theatre was the last wooden building on Commerce St. At the fire's height, 18 hoses were being used and tenants of neighbouring buildings started removing their belongings. The police investigation was led by Detective Mike Bush of the Kaitaia CIB, who was last month named as the new deputy police commissioner.