Movie mogul rates NZ’s star quality
Our sense of duty and spirit of mucking in make us an example to other nations, says film-maker. Tracy Watkins reports.
HOLLYWOOD heavyweights James and Suzi Amis Cameron have revealed they are now living in New Zealand fulltime – and, in an emotional tribute, have praised the country as a world leader and ‘‘giant’ on the international stage.
‘‘We’re not spending our time between California and New Zealand any more. We are here fulltime, and yeah . . . loving it,’’ a tearful Amis Cameron said.
She and Cameron, who have made this country the base for their movie empire, were honoured as ‘‘friends of New Zealand’’ at a packed Kea awards ceremony in Auckland to recognise the nation’s worldclass achievers.
The couple got New Zealand residency in 2012 after buying two Wairarapa properties and hope to get citizenship. They have championed environmental causes and are investing in plant-based technology.
They accepted the award with a special message for their adopted homeland, which they said was unique in the world.
‘‘I think as Kiwis born and raised here you can’t truly appreciate how great you are. And sometimes it takes an outsider’s voice to remind you, ‘‘ James Cameron said.
There was something ‘‘profoundly different’’ about New Zealand compared with the rest of the world, and it was something the world could learn from.
‘‘It’s a certain sense of duty to each other, that you’re part of the team, that you will sacrifice for each other. That empathy, that love and respect, whatever it is that binds you together – we hope to be as much a part of that as we can be.’’
James Cameron, who is Canadian, said he had spent a big part of his life in the US and although the last four years there had been ‘‘absolute hell’’, it had only brought to the surface what was already present; ‘‘the divisiveness, the chaos, the inability to function together. I’m only using that as an example, because we’re seeing it all over the world’’.
New Zealand had shown the world there was another way. While as a nation we might have disagreements, ‘‘it never completely dismantles and unravels the fabric that binds people here together’’.
‘‘It’s not ultimately about the team of 5 million, it’s about the team of 7 billion. We face profound problems as a civilisation and that spirit of sacrifice and duty to each other . . . that spirit of mucking in and taking responsibility for each other, that’s going to get us through as human beings.
‘‘And New Zealand can teach that to the world. New Zealand can lead by example.
‘‘Everyone’s always saying that we’re a small country, but we’re not a small country, we’re a giant.’’
But Cameron, who is currently filming the Avatar series, also made a plea for New Zealand to train more people for the film industry, which he said could be worth billions to the country.
‘As Kiwis born and raised here you can’t truly appreciate how great you are.’ JAMES CAMERON
‘‘We have unlimited potential for the film industry in this country and I think we’ve proven that over and over again.
‘‘But to truly meet our potential we need to invest in training; we have plenty of creative talent – actors, writers, producers, directors . . . but where we need to invest is in makeup artists and riggers and electricians and dolly grips and things like that. We don’t have enough crews to satisfy the major productions that could literally bring billions of dollars into our economy here.’’