Celebrating Auckland’s $1.52b screen industry

Avatar: The Way of Water’s Oscar and its ripple effect is a reminder this country produces world-class work.

James Cameron’s sequel, filmed in part in Kumeu, was briefly knocked off the top spot at the US box office by the debut of another film – M3GAN – made almost entirely in Ta¯ maki Makaurau Auckland. Twenty-five million people watched the world premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in its first 24 hours – season one created predominantly out of Auckland.

We’re really good at celebrating Kiwi talent working overseas but we should also acknowledge the incredible skills of people who work at the top of their game here.

International producers rave about working with New Zealand crews; now it’s our turn to applaud the work and its financial benefit to the Auckland region.

Screen Auckland is part of Ta¯ taki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland Council’s economic and cultural agency. Our region has the largest suite of studios, diverse locations and the biggest pool of people working in the industry in New Zealand, and we play an important role showcasing that to the world. The screen sector is big business for the region and deserves recognition beyond its entertainment value.

Statistics NZ data shows Auckland’s screen industry GDP for the last financial year was $1.523b – an annual growth of 10% and the fourth successive year of double-digit growth.

International productions spend significant money locally – on accommodation, vehicle rental, catering, set production, costume design, tradespeople and so much more. Avatar producer Jon Landau cited 100,000 accommodation nights and 400 people hired for the production.

The number of people working in Auckland’s screen sector is now at 8405, an annual increase of 448 – the biggest jump in screen employment since 2005. Of that increase, 60% was high-skilled jobs – people who need to work locally, or they go offshore.

Ta¯ maki Makaurau now has 2322 screen businesses, up 10% – the biggest increase since data collection began in 2000. The legacy of series such as The Rings of Power is that our crews have upskilled and continue to work for large productions, from Auckland. Post-production is up 14%. In the world of hi-tech visual and special effects and production techniques, the personnel in our sector are increasingly an important resource base.

We are buoyed by how busy the region’s studios are, and the number of enquiries Screen Auckland receives from international production houses and local companies. (We anticipate having facilitated more than 700 permits from March 2022 to March 2023.)

Auckland is not just punching above its weight on the world stage, local productions are increasing their own scale and reach. This month’s Ma¯ oriland Film Festiva in O¯ taki showcased indigenous storytelling and rising talent. We’re excited to see who will follow in the footsteps of The Panthers, a TV series that won rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and countless accolades at the New Zealand Television Awards.

Auckland has long dominated TV production in Aotearoa, and produces work at the top of its game, such as Shortland Street. Shows made here feature on global platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Screen Auckland constantly looks forward, maximising opportunities for emerging talent, particularly younger Ma¯ ori and Pacific communities, to gain skills and to build careers in a lucrative and growing industry. We work to keep the production pipeline flowing, while ensuring we protect the region’s sites and places of significance, and continually review sustainability practices.

That is why our focus will continue to be doing our utmost to attract international screen projects and facilitate those alongside homegrown productions, with the goal of a strong GDP for Auckland, and a future for the talented young people looking for careers.

We will continue to deliver strong economic results for the city because the screen industry is about so much more than the arts – it also makes sense for business.

The screen sector is big business for the region and deserves recognition beyond its entertainment value.