‘I understand the push-back from farmers’
Director James Cameron doubles down on his move away from meat and dairy, writes Tom Hunt.
The man behind blockbusters Avatar, Titanic and The Terminator is pushing on with his new crusade for plant-based cheese.
In fairness to James Cameron, his goals are loftier than that. The sometimes-Kiwi wants New Zealand to lead the world in growing plant-based protein – and talking to the Sunday Star-Times last night, he said he’s not scared about the expected push-back from our dairy and livestock farmers.
The director is standing firm in his views that hit the headlines in June when he said that ‘‘there are a lot of problems with meat’’.
Cameron, who splits his time between his farm holdings in Wairarapa and California, told TVNZ’s Sunday that meat protein required 10 to 40 times as much land as getting the same nutritional value from plants.
‘‘What we need is a nice transition to a meatless or relatively meatless world in 20 or 30 years,’’ was his point back then.
Speaking from Dunedin last night, Cameron remained convinced New Zealand could and should switch to sustainable farming. ‘‘There’s something about the national spirit here that
I have so fallen in love with and respect. I think New Zealanders can do anything that they put their minds to.
‘‘I also think they can do it quicker than anyone else because it’s a small country . . . People talk, and they are pragmatic, and they are solution-orientated.
‘‘I absolutely think we can do it. I understand the push-back from the farming community. It’s natural. This is something that they have devoted their lives to.’’
People wanted to continue to farm, but now came the question of what was farmed, he said.
‘‘Let’s look down the road far enough that we futureproof ourselves here, because globally people are going to have to shift. Either that, or civilisation is going to go off a cliff. I’m not talking about in 10 years, I’m talking well down the road.’’
The fastest growth in the food industry was faux-meats and plant-based protein, and that was an opportunity he had already invested in. ‘‘Some of the biggest dairy companies in the US are either going out of business ... others are diversifying into plantbased milk and cheese products so why can’t we do that here?’’
‘‘New Zealanders can do anything that they put their minds to.’’
Cameron is in Dunedin for two public talks to mark the halfway point of the James Cameron Challenging the Deep exhibition.
Last night RNZ host Noelle McCarthy held a Q&A called The Life of an Explorer, with Cameron in front of invited guests to discuss the exhibition.
He is currently based in the Wairarapa, where he owns more than 1500 hectares of rural property, while he shoots the four sequels to his 2009 film Avatar.
He told Sunday Star-Times the sequels were going well. ‘‘We love working here ... We have been here since May and I want to be wrapping up here in a couple of weeks then I’ll be back toward the end of first quarter next year for another three months . . . then the work is ongoing for the next couple of years with the Weta Digital team.’’
Today, McCarthy will discuss ‘‘Changing How we Live in Our World’’ with Cameron, and new Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins.
Cameron and his wife Suzy Amis Cameron have converted two dairy units to farm organic vegetables. They have also launched a plant-based food business with Sir Peter Jackson.