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Epoch Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
NZ to Spend Another Half Billion Dollars to Lure Hollywood Back to ‘Wellywood'
The New Zealand government is to try to regain the country's status as a movie location of choice for big-budget Hollywood productions—something that saw Wellington widely referred to as 'Wellywood' in its heyday. To do so, available funding for the International Screen Production Rebate will increase to $250 million (US$147 million) for 2024/25, and to $210 million from 2025/26 onwards. Eligible productions will be entitled to a 20 percent rebate where production costs are more than $15 million for feature films, and $4 million for television productions. 'A further 5 percent rebate is available to productions spending more than $30 million, which meet additional criteria for industry and economic growth,' Finance Minister Nicola Willis said. The local screen industry keeps about 24,000 people in work and has generated about $3.5 billion in annual revenue, she said. Overseas film companies' local productions had brought nearly $7.5 billion to New Zealand in the past decade, which was supported by $1.5 billion in rebate payments. Related Stories 5/15/2025 5/8/2025 'The reality is we simply won't get the offshore investment in our highly successful screen sector without continuing this scheme,' Willis said. Aiming to Regain Hollywood Popularity The unique geography of the small South Pacific country, coupled with modern facilities such as high-speed broadband and state-of-the-art post-production facilities, have seen major movies filmed there including Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy, Mission Impossible: Fallout, M3GAN, the Avatar series of films, and the 2005 version of King Kong. However, landscape and amenities aren't enough on their own, with other countries keen to attract big-budget epics not just for the money they bring to the local economy but also the tourism boost they provide. New Zealand tourist operators still profit from taking visitors to Lord of the Rings locations, including the town of Hobbiton, now a permanent fixture. It's been 22 years since Wellington came to a halt for the world premiere of the first of the LOTR movies. Although successive governments have maintained the subsidy, other countries have since started offering more. Cabinet therefore decided to increase support to better reflect 'current forecast demand,' according to Willis, who made the announcement at Jackson's Weta Workshop production facility in Wellington. Latest to enter an increasingly crowded market is Queensland, which plans to become 'a global leader in the screen industry by 2028' by offering government incentives (
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Farewell Eagles… Hobbit Sculptures Removed from Wellington Airport
For more than a decade, a pair of Hobbit-inspired eagle sculptures have cast a watchful eye over visitors at New Zealand's Wellington Airport. But the giant birds will be unfastened from the ceiling on Friday to make way for a new mystery exhibit, airport authorities said. According to BBC, the eagles appear as messengers in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which were adapted to film by New Zealand's Sir Peter Jackson. The spectacular New Zealand landscapes featured in Jackson's films are a consistent draw for tourists, who are greeted at the airport by the eagle sculptures. 'It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us, 'Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said in a statement. The giant eagles will be placed in storage and there have not been long-term plans for them. Each eagle weighs 1.2 tons with a wingspan of 15 meters. Riding on the back of one of the birds is a sculpture of the wizard, Gandalf. Made of polystyrene and with an internal steel skeleton, each eagle has hundreds of feathers, the longest one measuring 2.4 meters. While the iconic eagles will soon be gone, not all is lost for fans of the franchise: Smaug the Magnificent, the dragon in The Hobbit, will continue to be displayed at the check-in area. The eagles were unveiled in 2013, around the time of the release of The Hobbit trilogy. The giant sculptures were produced by Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand-based company that made costumes and props for The Lord of the Rings franchise. 'We're working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement to take their place,' Clarke said. 'We'll unveil what's next later this year so keep watching the skies.'
The Age
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘It breaks my heart': Giant Gandalf sculpture in NZ airport to be removed
For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand 's Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from The Hobbit films, one bearing a bellowing wizard Gandalf. With 15-metre wingspans and weighing more than a tonne each, the sculptures that hover in the terminal have delighted tourists and scared children since 2013. Their tenure was eventful — one became unmoored from its fixings during a severe earthquake in 2016, and plummeted onto the terminal floor below. No one was hurt. But this month the majestic creatures, which underscore the capital city's connection to Peter Jackson 's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, will depart the terminal for good, Wellington Airport announced on Monday. 'It's been quite a Lord of the Rings -heavy storytelling theme in here,' said airport chief executive Matt Clarke. 'Now we're looking to change that to something new.' 'It breaks my heart,' said one traveller, Verity Johnson, who sat beneath a grasping eagle claw in the food court on Monday. The sculptures had impressed her since she was young. 'Please, please reconsider.' 'Taking them away is un-New Zealand,' joked another airport visitor, Michael Parks. The eagles were crafted by the film props and effects company Weta Workshop, which created tens of thousands of props for the Oscar-winning fantasy films directed by Jackson – one of Wellington's best-known residents, who lives on an isthmus near the airport. The movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novels generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue for New Zealand and employed thousands of people in Wellington over the 15 years of the movies' production. But during the years the eagles have hovered in the terminal, Tolkien tourism has waned in Wellington — although the city will perhaps always be synonymous with Jackson's films. Guided tours still convey fans to the settings of famous scenes from the films and to visit production companies such as Weta, which will create a new display for the airport, to be unveiled later this year, Clarke said.
7NEWS
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Hobbit-themed eagle sculptures to depart New Zealand airport
Two giant eagle sculptures inspired by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have loomed over visitors to Wellington Airport for more than a decade. Now, they will take their final flight and depart the airport on Friday. The two eagles, one with a sculpture of Gandalf on its back, were first installed 12 years ago, a statement released by the airport on Monday said. Their installation coincided with the release of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit movie trilogy, which were filmed in New Zealand. After providing a stunning backdrop to Jackson's movies, New Zealand became synonymous with author J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, with tourists flocking to the country to see the filming locations. Each eagle weighs more than a tonne and has a 15-metre wingspan. They are made from an internal steel framework, polystyrene body and have a combined total of 1000 feathers — the longest of which measures 2.4m, the airport said. Eagles frequently feature in Tolkien's stories, often swooping in and saving other characters from seemingly hopeless situations. These eagle sculptures will be placed into storage once they have been disassembled, though a long-term plan for them has not yet been decided, the airport said. 'It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us,' said the airport's chief executive Matt Clarke in a statement. 'They have been a huge success and travellers from around the world have loved admiring them. After 12 years it's the right time for them to fly the nest.' The eagle sculptures were created by Weta Workshop — the same team that built props and designed physical effects for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies. Clarke didn't say what would replace the eagles but added the airport is working with Weta Workshop on 'some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement' that will be revealed later this year as part of a whole redesign of the terminal. A sculpture of Smaug, the dragon who is the main antagonist in The Hobbit will remain in the check-in area, Wellington Airport confirmed.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
A giant sculpture of Gandalf riding an eagle departs NZ airport for good
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand. Photo: AP For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand's Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from the Hobbit films, one bearing a bellowing wizard Gandalf. With 15m wingspans and weighing 1.1 tonne each, the sculptures that hover in the terminal have delighted tourists and scared children since 2013. Their tenure was eventful - one became unmoored from its fixings during a severe earthquake in 2016, and plummeted onto the terminal floor below. No one was hurt. But this month the majestic creatures, which underscore the capital city's connection to Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit films, will depart the terminal for good, Wellington Airport announced on Monday. "It's been quite a Lord of the Rings-heavy storytelling theme in here,' said airport chief executive Matt Clarke. "Now we're looking to change that to something new.' "It breaks my heart,' said one traveller, Verity Johnson, who sat beneath a grasping eagle claw in the food court on Monday. The sculptures had impressed her since she was young. "Please, please reconsider.' "Taking them away is un-New Zealand,' joked another airport visitor, Michael Parks. The eagles were crafted by the film props and effects company Weta Workshop, which created tens of thousands of props for the Oscar-winning fantasy films directed by Jackson - one of Wellington's best-known residents, who lives on an isthmus near the airport. The movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novels generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue for New Zealand and employed thousands of people in Wellington over the 15 years of the movies' production. But during the years the eagles have hovered in the terminal, Tolkien tourism has waned in Wellington - although the city will perhaps always be synonymous with Jackson's films. Guided tours still convey fans to the settings of famous scenes from the films and to visit production companies such as Weta, which will create a new display for the airport, to be unveiled later this year, Clarke said. Travellers have until Friday to admire the birds, which will then be put into storage, Clarke said. He hopes the creatures - which each feature 1,000 3D printed feathers - will find a home at a museum. "It's a spectacular thing for little kids to see,' Clarke said. "Even your old, grizzled businessmen, they still pull out their phones and take a quick cheeky photo too.' Wellington Airport isn't losing its quirky side. An enormous sculpture of The Hobbit's gold-hoarding dragon, Smaug, will remain overlooking the check-in counters. - AP
