Film studio plan a lure for industry
Plans to make it easier to set up film studios in Christchurch have the potential to spark overseas interest in the region, an industry expert says.
Earthquake recovery laws are being used to potentially fasttrack the proposed changes. Associate Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Poto Williams will make a decision by early September.
It will be the last time the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act is used to fast-track planning decisions after Parliament voted in June to return some responsibilities to local government.
The proposal would change the district plan to make film studios a permitted activity in commercial, industrial and rural zones – including Templeton, where a film studio is proposed for the old hospital site.
Those hoping to build a studio would still have to apply for resource consent in most instances, but it would be cheaper, faster and more certain than it is currently.
A report outlining the proposed changes, written by now-disbanded planning agency Regenerate Christchurch, says film production facilities could bring $50 million to $200m of revenue to the region annually, employ at least 270 people, and lead to further benefits like filmbased tourism.
The $50m figure is based off four small feature films (10 per cent of the national annual average) and 20 smaller series or oneoff productions (1 per cent of the national average) a year.
The report says getting resource consent for a studio under the current rules was ‘‘complex, lengthy, expensive and without any certainty of outcome, significantly reducing the prospect of such facilities establishing’’.
The council asked Regenerate to write the proposal after the council received queries about planning restrictions for setting up film studios from three groups.
Clayton Tikao, director of Filmscouts NZ, which scouts and manages film locations throughout New Zealand and the South Pacific, welcomed the proposed changes. He said New Zealand’s film industry was starting to ‘‘boom’’ as competing overseas production companies continued to grapple with strict Covid-19 restrictions.
Canterbury had a lot to offer in terms of ‘‘beautiful’’ film locations but the current perception within the industry was that the infrastructure required to make the films was lacking, Tikao said.
Currently, Auckland and Wellington are the only New Zealand centres with dedicated studios, despite many international films shooting in the South Island.
Auckland had also reached capacity and Wellington was nearing it, he said.
In 2019, four feature productions were shot on location in Canterbury and the West Coast. These were Mulan (Disney), Only Cloud Knows (Emperor Motion Pictures), Letter for the King (Netflix) and The Luminaries (BBC).
The public can provide feedback until August 5. Williams then has 30 days to make a final decision.