Chair of Film Otago Southland seeks to modernise

Otago Daily Times

10-07-2025

Scenery alone is not enough, the region's latest screen champion says.
Recently appointed Film Otago Southland chairman George Dawes has said pairing dramatic locations with local talent and facilities will keep the region on the global production map.
As the owner of a Dunedin video company, he brings both practical and artistic knowledge to the role.
Film Otago Southland, a non-profit trust funded by southern councils and the Southern Institute of Technology, links productions with local crews and facilities, provides advice on film permits and permissions as well as advocating for film-friendly policies and legislation.
It covers a wide region across Queenstown Lakes, Dunedin, Southland, Central Otago, Waitaki and Clutha.
These regions continue to attract productions ranging from international features to television commercials.
Oscar-winning drama The Power of the Dog beautifully captured Central Otago's stark landscapes.
Dunedin and Oamaru hosted Netflix romance The Royal Treatment , local coming-of-age comedy Uproar filmed in Dunedin, while Brad Pitt's Heart of the Beast was based in Queenstown.
While international titles grab headlines, the trust aimed to grow domestic production.
International shoots must hire New Zealanders, so building local capacity benefits both sides.
Productions needed to satisfy Immigration New Zealand requirements and show they were using local crews.
"Immigration [New Zealand] won't just give out visas for everyone just because they are coming for a film.
"There has to be opportunities for New Zealanders."
Three aspects the trust aimed to promote were world-class locations, world-class crew and world-class facilities.
One of the challenges in the South was having options to move indoors when bad weather prevented exterior shoots.
There had been several facility investment proposals in recent years such as the Ayrburn film precinct development near Arrowtown and the proposed Silverlight Studios near Wānaka.
"We take a view that any investment in screen capacity is good and we would support any developer that can get it over the line."
Simplifying the permit process remains a key challenge.
Film Otago Southland connects productions with the Department of Conservation (Doc), Land Information New Zealand and local councils.
It also advises on gaining access to privately owned land.
"Sometimes it is just knowing who the landowner is and knowing which locations are accessible."
The government is reviewing proposals to modernise concessions, including filming permits managed by Doc.
Updated concession rules could better reflect modern filming trends, including lighter camera gear and the use of drones instead of helicopters.
"A lot of Doc's processes are set in legislation, so the timeframes around concessions processing and the notification periods are set.
"I think what we would really like to see is a modernisation of the permitting process."
The footprint of film production has shrunk over the past 20 years thanks to technology and innovation, but the permitting process does not yet reflect that reduced impact.
For example, the permitting rules do not clearly distinguish between crew sizes, from "micro" to small or medium teams.
"I suspect we will get there. Doc has been really good at doing what they can to support film."
Film Otago Southland also supported the Southern Film Collective with funding.
"That is a group that is focused on growing the creation of content and IP in the lower South Island.
"So it is producers, writers, directors trying to work together to grow the industry."
While the trust remained focused on attracting overseas projects, it also wanted to foster productions created locally.
"They have a benefit wider than just a film crew that comes into town for a period of however long.
"So while that is all really important, we want to see that other part of the industry develop as well."
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