July 13, 2026 • 7 mins
New Zealand icon Sir Sam Neill has died and tributes are flying in from all over the world.
The Jurassic Park actor passed away unexpectedly on Monday 13th July in Sydney surrounded by his family.
Nick Mills spoke to NZ film producer and founder of Gibson Group Dave Gibson who shared his memories of Neill.
While Neill was well-known for his international roles, Gibson says what really cemented him as a NZ icon was his "very, very kiwi parts", like Uncle Hec in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Gibson said was "the top of the mountain" of Kiwi film and a great guy.
"We don't have a lot of people like Sam."
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News TALKSB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Few people have done more to shape New Zealand's film
and television industry than Dave Gibson. From founding Gibson Group
to leading New Zealand Film Commission, he spent nearly five
decades helping KIWI stories on screen, on and around the world.
Dave joins me, now, good morning, Dave.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning, aka good thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Firstly, you would have sort of started your career at
around about the same time as Sam Neil. What do
you what are your early memories of them?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, that's a good point, actually putting me in that
same back home bracket timeline. Look, the thing was that
was the seventies and you know Sam, funny enough, when
I first met him, was actually working as a director
at the National Film Unit. He had done a bit
of acting, I think in christ Church and theater and things,
and then somehow or other he sort of segue lave
(01:04):
It and Roger Donaldson. I think the big break and
the thing that we all remember it was that Roger
gotto to do Sleeping Dogs. And it's funny. I was
talking to a friend of mine yesterday who talked about
the fact that he'd been to see Sleeping Dogs in
the cinema in Auckland and came out and kind of went,
oh my god. You know on his Hieman movie that
he really liked and enjoyed. And you know that was
(01:25):
in many ways that I think Sleeping Dogs a lot
of people see is the sort of beginning of of
that kind of the big renaissance of his Him movie.
So Sam was the man. He was there right at
the start.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
He did have a connection with Wellington, didn't he Because
there was always rumors that he owned two houses at
the end of the street that I lived in in Wellington,
and I remember hopping I just said in the intro
of the show, hopping into a taxi one time. Now
he might have just been visiting a friend. I don't know,
but he was on the street.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Oh, he definitely. Well, he was working at the film
unit that when it moved out to Avalon and things
like that. He was around. He was around a film
unit and Mirramar and things. As I say, as a
documentary director, that was is kind of that was his
sort of first paid gig that I remember.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
When did you first realize he was going to be
so significant and to your industry.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I don't think any of us did early on, actually,
I think we thought that, Yeah, it's a very good question.
I guess it was Jurassic Park. You know, when you
do something that big. I think that was when you started.
But at that stage, he wasn't necessarily doing a lot
of New Zealand things, and there were periods when he didn't,
but he was. I mean, he did an amazing amount
of work. I was. I was just actually just looking.
(02:38):
There's a professional site called IMDb and it lists an
actor or direct or whatever it is, everything they've done.
And you look at Sam's and every single year for
the last forty or fifty years, he was doing three
or four things. I mean, there's not a year that
he wasn't doing anything as far as I can see.
And you wouldn't you wouldn't know all these things. You know,
he was just so so prolific. He did so many things,
(03:00):
and such a variety of things. You know, like he
might have done a voice for The Simpsons as well
as as well as you know, Hunt for the Will
of People or Dead Calm or something like that, and
just stuff you didn't even know about is just just
very very busy, very busy guy.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I also started the show by saying that he became
a true international superstar of New Zealand, our country.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely, yeah. I mean we're struggled in
a way. If you look at Australia and you look
at how many famous actors they've got, and how many
people they've got that can sort of, you know, get
a movie up with their name. They've got such a
lot of stars. We don't have very many. And Sam
really was you know, he was the top of the
mountain in that sense.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Was he a good guy to be around?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, yeah, he's great. He's great. I mean that that
comes through all the tributes you see that like come, yeah,
just yarning to him and you know, sitting in an
airport lounge and talking to him. I mean he was
he was so easy to talk to, such a gentleman.
So you know, everybody that worked with them loved working
with him. You know, just a really really nice guy,
lovely guy.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Have you been to his winery?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Oh yeah, well I'm living in Central Otago now I know.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
That's why I ask because.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I mean that's the other thing. He's got all
these other sides to him, you know, like you know,
I know people in the wine business down here and that,
you know, they talk about Sam in the sense of
tow Paddocks and the fact that he was so early,
I mean he and he and Roger Donaldson, you know,
buying land and planting grapes and things in the early days.
So yeah, it's there's a whole you know, that's fantasying
thing about him. He's got, He's got a few sides
(04:33):
to him, that's for sure. What were you miss b Well,
I just found myself talking about him in the present tense,
didn't I Just kind of strange? I think what were
you miss most about Sam? I think everybody will missed
just the fact that we don't have a lot of
people like Sam. You know, Yeah, he's he's a special.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
He definitely a bit special, and you know, we we
we've got to sort of, I don't know, take a
moment to think about it, because if we didn't have true,
if we didn't have him, who was going to be
our first international true star? Really when you think.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
About it, yeah, I mean, look, there are other people,
you know that, there's other actors like Carla Varna and
people who have have made a name. But I think
I think he transcends. I think because he was here
at the start of the business, you know, when he
really helped turn it around, and I think people realize that.
And then the fact if you're in such a seminal
(05:31):
film as Hunt of the Wilder People and you play
that kind of character, which is, you know, very much
the John mulgan Man alone kind of Kiwi icon, that
cements you, I think as well. You know, so you've
got not just Samuel the person, but for a lot
of people who don't know him, you know, he's playing
those sorts of parts and that's that's very, very key
(05:52):
we I think.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
When I've been reading about it in the last twelve hours,
I've seen so much tributes from people that have worked
alongside him. Did he do a lot for Kiwi actors
that were trying to make it?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, he was. He was always good when when I
was at the film question we were doing is when
we did Hat for the wild of People. And you know,
he's always been He's always turned up in stuff, you know,
Like I mean, he was there at the ten year
anniversary of Hunt for the Wild of People and Alton
recently and you know, yeah, yeah, he's a supportive guy.
He he knows that part of the gig is to
(06:27):
help other people and to help the films that he's
been in and to help the other talent and things
like that. No, I think he's always been he's always
been very supportive and you know, and he's got that
other side time as well. I mean, you know, I
guess if you're a serious mining person, you know, you
might you might not love Sam. But you know, I
think that also the fact that he was prepared to
stand up for stuff, the politics that he believes in,
(06:49):
you know, make the videos about things, do that sort
of stuff, you know, and do it in a do
it in a really nice way. You know. He never
personally attacked anybody who all kind of got down in
the gutter about it all. He just said these are
the things that he believed them.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
You know, it's interesting because we haven't talked about that
during the hour. But he was anti mining, he was
I mean, was he a greedy.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Well, I know he was. He was. I think I think,
to be fair, he was anti that particular mine. I
don't know, I mean, I haven't had long conversations with
him about it. But I think it was very much
that particular you know, minor tarifs that he you know,
an area that he felt finally about and that particular
mind that he was against. But was he Yeah, look
(07:30):
is he a left is he? Is he a lefty? Yes?
Is he? Is he of the Green persuasion? Yes, of
course he is. Yes. You know, if I saw that
he met with it in such a nice way, you know,
you know, you know that I still think there are
plenty of people from the right who decided sorry to
see him go. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Of course, of course, Dave lovely to talk to you.
I appreciate you taking the time to have a chat
to us. Been a while, Always good to catch up.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks Here'd Be Wellington from nine to am
week days, or follow the podcast on i Heart Radio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News TALKSB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Few people have done more to shape New Zealand's film
and television industry than Dave Gibson. From founding Gibson Group
to leading New Zealand Film Commission, he spent nearly five
decades helping KIWI stories on screen, on and around the world.
Dave joins me, now, good morning, Dave.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning, aka good thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Firstly, you would have sort of started your career at
around about the same time as Sam Neil. What do
you what are your early memories of them?
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, that's a good point, actually putting me in that
same back home bracket timeline. Look, the thing was that
was the seventies and you know Sam, funny enough, when
I first met him, was actually working as a director
at the National Film Unit. He had done a bit
of acting, I think in christ Church and theater and things,
and then somehow or other he sort of segue lave
(01:04):
It and Roger Donaldson. I think the big break and
the thing that we all remember it was that Roger
gotto to do Sleeping Dogs. And it's funny. I was
talking to a friend of mine yesterday who talked about
the fact that he'd been to see Sleeping Dogs in
the cinema in Auckland and came out and kind of went,
oh my god. You know on his Hieman movie that
he really liked and enjoyed. And you know that was
(01:25):
in many ways that I think Sleeping Dogs a lot
of people see is the sort of beginning of of
that kind of the big renaissance of his Him movie.
So Sam was the man. He was there right at
the start.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
He did have a connection with Wellington, didn't he Because
there was always rumors that he owned two houses at
the end of the street that I lived in in Wellington,
and I remember hopping I just said in the intro
of the show, hopping into a taxi one time. Now
he might have just been visiting a friend. I don't know,
but he was on the street.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Oh, he definitely. Well, he was working at the film
unit that when it moved out to Avalon and things
like that. He was around. He was around a film
unit and Mirramar and things. As I say, as a
documentary director, that was is kind of that was his
sort of first paid gig that I remember.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
When did you first realize he was going to be
so significant and to your industry.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I don't think any of us did early on, actually,
I think we thought that, Yeah, it's a very good question.
I guess it was Jurassic Park. You know, when you
do something that big. I think that was when you started.
But at that stage, he wasn't necessarily doing a lot
of New Zealand things, and there were periods when he didn't,
but he was. I mean, he did an amazing amount
of work. I was. I was just actually just looking.
(02:38):
There's a professional site called IMDb and it lists an
actor or direct or whatever it is, everything they've done.
And you look at Sam's and every single year for
the last forty or fifty years, he was doing three
or four things. I mean, there's not a year that
he wasn't doing anything as far as I can see.
And you wouldn't you wouldn't know all these things. You know,
he was just so so prolific. He did so many things,
(03:00):
and such a variety of things. You know, like he
might have done a voice for The Simpsons as well
as as well as you know, Hunt for the Will
of People or Dead Calm or something like that, and
just stuff you didn't even know about is just just
very very busy, very busy guy.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I also started the show by saying that he became
a true international superstar of New Zealand, our country.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely, yeah. I mean we're struggled in
a way. If you look at Australia and you look
at how many famous actors they've got, and how many
people they've got that can sort of, you know, get
a movie up with their name. They've got such a
lot of stars. We don't have very many. And Sam
really was you know, he was the top of the
mountain in that sense.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Was he a good guy to be around?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, yeah, he's great. He's great. I mean that that
comes through all the tributes you see that like come, yeah,
just yarning to him and you know, sitting in an
airport lounge and talking to him. I mean he was
he was so easy to talk to, such a gentleman.
So you know, everybody that worked with them loved working
with him. You know, just a really really nice guy,
lovely guy.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Have you been to his winery?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Oh yeah, well I'm living in Central Otago now I know.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
That's why I ask because.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And I mean that's the other thing. He's got all
these other sides to him, you know, like you know,
I know people in the wine business down here and that,
you know, they talk about Sam in the sense of
tow Paddocks and the fact that he was so early,
I mean he and he and Roger Donaldson, you know,
buying land and planting grapes and things in the early days.
So yeah, it's there's a whole you know, that's fantasying
thing about him. He's got, He's got a few sides
(04:33):
to him, that's for sure. What were you miss b Well,
I just found myself talking about him in the present tense,
didn't I Just kind of strange? I think what were
you miss most about Sam? I think everybody will missed
just the fact that we don't have a lot of
people like Sam. You know, Yeah, he's he's a special.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
He definitely a bit special, and you know, we we
we've got to sort of, I don't know, take a
moment to think about it, because if we didn't have true,
if we didn't have him, who was going to be
our first international true star? Really when you think.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
About it, yeah, I mean, look, there are other people,
you know that, there's other actors like Carla Varna and
people who have have made a name. But I think
I think he transcends. I think because he was here
at the start of the business, you know, when he
really helped turn it around, and I think people realize that.
And then the fact if you're in such a seminal
(05:31):
film as Hunt of the Wilder People and you play
that kind of character, which is, you know, very much
the John mulgan Man alone kind of Kiwi icon, that
cements you, I think as well. You know, so you've
got not just Samuel the person, but for a lot
of people who don't know him, you know, he's playing
those sorts of parts and that's that's very, very key
(05:52):
we I think.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
When I've been reading about it in the last twelve hours,
I've seen so much tributes from people that have worked
alongside him. Did he do a lot for Kiwi actors
that were trying to make it?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Yeah, he was. He was always good when when I
was at the film question we were doing is when
we did Hat for the wild of People. And you know,
he's always been He's always turned up in stuff, you know,
Like I mean, he was there at the ten year
anniversary of Hunt for the Wild of People and Alton
recently and you know, yeah, yeah, he's a supportive guy.
He he knows that part of the gig is to
(06:27):
help other people and to help the films that he's
been in and to help the other talent and things
like that. No, I think he's always been he's always
been very supportive and you know, and he's got that
other side time as well. I mean, you know, I
guess if you're a serious mining person, you know, you
might you might not love Sam. But you know, I
think that also the fact that he was prepared to
stand up for stuff, the politics that he believes in,
(06:49):
you know, make the videos about things, do that sort
of stuff, you know, and do it in a do
it in a really nice way. You know. He never
personally attacked anybody who all kind of got down in
the gutter about it all. He just said these are
the things that he believed them.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
You know, it's interesting because we haven't talked about that
during the hour. But he was anti mining, he was
I mean, was he a greedy.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Well, I know he was. He was. I think I think,
to be fair, he was anti that particular mine. I
don't know, I mean, I haven't had long conversations with
him about it. But I think it was very much
that particular you know, minor tarifs that he you know,
an area that he felt finally about and that particular
mind that he was against. But was he Yeah, look
(07:30):
is he a left is he? Is he a lefty? Yes?
Is he? Is he of the Green persuasion? Yes, of
course he is. Yes. You know, if I saw that
he met with it in such a nice way, you know,
you know, you know that I still think there are
plenty of people from the right who decided sorry to
see him go. You know.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Of course, of course, Dave lovely to talk to you.
I appreciate you taking the time to have a chat
to us. Been a while, Always good to catch up.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news talks Here'd Be Wellington from nine to am
week days, or follow the podcast on i Heart Radio.
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com