The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC), Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), Warner Bros Pictures and Gravity Pictures have partnered to form a new film studio in West Auckland.
The studio facility in Kumeu was developed for the filming of director Jon Turteltaub’s Meg, an upcoming science fiction action thriller from Warner Bros Pictures and Gravity Pictures.
ATEED to run the complex
ATEED has signed a long-term lease on the site, and will initially operate the studio complex. Screen Auckland, the region’s film office, is already fielding strong interest in Kumeu from international and domestic productions.
The privately owned 27ha site includes the first two film studio water tanks ever built in New Zealand.
It also has production offices, a sought-after forested back lot, and a workshop and manufacturing space.
Upon completion of its a sound stage in 2018, Kumeu Film Studios will double Auckland’s screen studio infrastructure. It will also provide a major transformational shift for the industry in Auckland, increasing the region’s capacity for large-scale screen productions.
A significant asset
The studios are a significant asset for marketing Auckland and New Zealand internationally as a screen production destination, and will ultimately create more jobs and investment opportunities for the region.
Barrie Osborne, executive producer of Meg, stated, “It is great to have an additional facility in New Zealand; a place I know well. I love to produce films there.”
ATEED Chief Executive Brett O ‘Riley says, “While Auckland currently attracts large-scale production through its world class crew, production talent and locations our full potential has been hampered by a lack of studio space – until now.”
Meg has now wrapped in New Zealand and is scheduled to open in our theatres in February 2018.
