Media release
28 October 2008
Green Light Given For Sustainable Film Village

The Rodney District Council has approved the development of a sustainable village at Kelly Park, Wainui, which is set to become the filmmaking hub of New Zealand.

The new film village is planned on just a fraction of the 338 hectares of land that sits 10 minutes away from Silverdale and will feature a raft of high-tech, world-class film facilities, including sets, studios, workshops a film school and even an animal training arena.

Kelly Park’s general manager, Steve Barker says the development has local and international significance. “We are about to create a world-class film-making facility that will really cement Kelly Park and New Zealand as a top film production destination globally.”

“The spin-offs in terms of revenue generation for the local economy and employment opportunities will be immense,” says Steve.

The Kelly Park film village will also encompass cafes, restaurants, homes and hotel-style accommodation for cast and crew during their stay, with plans for an education centre for national and international film students to be built.

This will be the first New Zealand-based project for sustainable developers, Ecos Homes. The company’s pioneering and award-winning project, the Great Bow Yard, in Langport, Somerset, UK, is recognised internationally as a landmark working example of sustainable development that is both affordable and attractive.

Malcolm McAll, Managing Director of Ecos Homes (NZ) comments: “The Kelly Park project will give us the opportunity to demonstrate sustainable design and construction in practice. We hope it will also encourage other developers to consider the benefits of building sustainably.”

The development includes an exemplar of 20 homes, some of which will be available for building professionals, town planners and members of the public to visit so they can fully experience the options available to them.

The Ecos Home’s philosophy is borne out with the plans for the development, to maintain the rural characteristics of the landscape, flowing with the existing undulating hills and valleys.

“We take our responsibility to the land very seriously. The sustainable buildings that are created are the end-point, but we will also be ensuring that our impact on the environment during development is minimised. Ensuring that we are honouring and respecting the land we are working on is crucial to every decision we make,” says Malcolm.

Ecos Homes believes in high quality materials and, where possible, will be using New Zealand-made products.

“It’s easy to build cheap, poor quality homes that are expensive to heat and don’t last under the climate conditions, but we believe this is no longer acceptable and want to prove that providing a healthy and efficient living space for residents is possible and doesn’t need to cost the earth.”

“Needless to say, we’re very excited to now be able get started on this journey and we look forward to working with Rodney District Council and the Rodney community.”

The development is expected to begin early in 2009.

ENDS.

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