The Prime Minister acknowledged the success of Film Auckland in helping to develop the Auckland Screen Production Industry, at an industry celebration held at the Hilton Hotel today. Film Auckland Deputy Chair, Pete Rive praised eighteen months of unprecedented screen industry, government and business sector collaboration and called for even greater unity to help promote Auckland as a screen production destination to the rest of the world. "Auckland is the screen production hub of New Zealand, with more production houses, advertising agencies, studios and talent producing more film, television and video work than anywhere else in the country," he said. Film Auckland welcomed on board principal sponsor, Telecom and acknowledged the importance of telecommunications infrastructure to the success of New Zealand's screen industry.

"Telecom's support during the filming of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, at Hobsonville and on location, is an example of how business-industry cooperation strengthens our international appeal," said TLWW Line Producer, Tim Coddington.
"Telecom seamlessly connected all TLWW locations - even those in the remote regions of the South Island, with both the Auckland studio and LA, at times transmitting over 10 gigabytes of data every night," he said. "Sending that much data from Montana to LA would have been more difficult."

The film office has so far had $2 million in Major Regional Initiative (MRI) funding from NZTE approved, subject to that amount being matched by $2.5 million in private sector funding , and has helped generate support for the construction of the country's second - and largest, sound stage in Henderson.

The MRI funds and studio construction will begin once the private sector funding is in place - a target Film Auckland is confident will be achieved.

"We have a growing creative reputation here in New Zealand," says Film Auckland Executive Manager, Natasha Christie. "Business sector and government support for industry infrastructure can only grow the economic and cultural input of the industry."

Auckland now appears more prominently on the recce schedules of international producers and location scouts. The region's territorial local authorities are all film friendly and Film Auckland has worked with them to develop a uniform film permitting process. Prior to the celebration at the Hilton, Film Auckland ran Your Voice '05, an industry forum created to foster discussion and ideas on the future development of screen production in Auckland. Prime Minister Helen Clark showed her support for the industry at the Film Auckland industry celebration held at the Hilton Hotel on 17 August.

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