15 September 2004
Waitakere is again breaking new ground having signed an agreement with the Fijian Audio Visual Commission which will
ensure the city’s buoyant film industry, and the city itself, continues to flourish.
The MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) will see Fiji and Waitakere, one of the most proactive filmmaking hubs in New
Zealand, working together to meet expanding international film industry needs in the South Pacific.
The agreement was signed this week by the Fiji Audio Visual Commission Chairman Joe Mar and Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey
who has been extensively involved in promotion of the film industry and active in encouraging film and television
productions into New Zealand.
The agreement is understood to be a first and is expected to reap benefits for Fiji, Waitakere and New Zealand.
“Our local film industry is turning Waitakere into Westiewood and this agreement means we will be able to even more
effectively accommodate its ever increasing needs,” says Mr Harvey, also a former Chair and current member of the New
Zealand Film Commission.
“Fiji and Waitakere will cooperate to offer film makers the best locations in the two areas, crème de la crème crews and
very supportive local environments and economies. I am delighted and proud Waitakere is leading the way in this field.”
In signing the agreement the parties recognise the complementary strengths of their respective production destinations
for the servicing of international film productions and seek to work together to attract projects that would benefit
from these arrangements.
In particular, Waitakere recognises the accessibility and desirability of unique locations in Fiji not found in New
Zealand and the FAVC appreciates the availability of studio facilities and expertise in Waitakere.
Waitakere owns Henderson Valley Studios which has been used for productions such as the popular TV series Hercules and
Xena and it is currently hosting the big-budget Disney production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The two organisations intend to develop joint marketing and business initiatives, establish a formal relationship with
Film Auckland and help towards the signing of an official co-production treaty between New Zealand and Fiji.
“With the huge success of The Lord of the Rings Triology for NZ and now with Fiji’s high profile as a production
location with Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, it makes good sense for us as neighbouring countries to look for
synergies to attract more film productions to our part of the world,” Mr Mar says.
“We wish to thank Mayor Bob Harvey for his proactive ‘can-do’ attitude which many have come to recognise as a particular
attribute of the Kiwis. The FAVC has been working on developing this type of arrangement with several strategic
countries. While the MOU with Waitakere is the first concrete realisation of that aspiration we expect others.”
Mr Mar added that with arrangements such as that signed between FAVC and Waitakere, film producers would have more
coherent and wider combinations of choices of locations, facilities, expertise and tax incentives from which they can
structure very feasible film production deals.
ENDS