Nick Hill: Auckland Tataki Unlimited chief executive on Amazon MGM production The Wrecking Crew being filmed in Auckland

Auckland's counting down to hosting a star-studded film production, which kicks off in October.

The Wrecking Crew stars Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista and Temuera Morrison - with filming likely to run at least two months.

Auckland Tataki Unlimited CEO Nick Hill says it's the largest production done here since The Rings of Power series.

He says locals will get a chance to catch filming around the city.

"They will certainly film in the city centre - but also other parts around the region. I think Auckland will actually get to show itself off in a major movie."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now a massive film production is coming to New Zealand.
Amazon and MGM will primarily be shooting The Wrecking Crew.
This is the film The wreck and Crew, which stars
Jason Molmore, Dave Batista and Timmy ware and Morrison in
the city of Sales and Auckland is because it's expected
to be the biggest production made here in New Zealand
since The Lord of the Rings TV show Bugger Off
to the UK. Nick Hill is chief executive of Tartuki

(00:21):
Auckland Unlimited and is with us.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Now, Hey, Nick, Hi, Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
How big a deal is this for Auckland.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
It is a big deal and the timing couldn't be
better given the challenges that we've had economically.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Okay, how long is it going to be here for?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
They'll probably film for two to three months, but they'll
employ about fourteen hundred people. Yeah, and it will be
all over the region, so I think it'll be very
visible to people and it's.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Where are they filming?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Nick tell us, Well, they will certainly film in this
city scene, but also other parts around the region and
I think Auckland will actually get to show itself off
in a major movie.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
So we're going to be able to fill our eyes
with Jason Momoor in real life we.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Are, and maybe even some car chases around our streets.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Much less interesting to the ladies neck, much less interesting.
Of the fourteen hundred, how many of them are that
we basically they're using our crew, they're not bringing their own.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
A large number of them will be local, if not,
if not most of them. We have very good crews
here that are definitely international, and we've become very used
to working on these international productions.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
Now. I don't want to be ungrateful because you know,
three months is three months, but three months is also
just three months. Is there anything after that?

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeah? So the pipeline at the moment is actually very strong.
But the challenge with these things is they're all projects,
so they all kind of have an ending. But we're
doing really well because of the US dollar and Auckland
and New Zealand is considered absolutely first rate for making

(02:08):
these sorts of films. So right now the situation looks
very good.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
So is this a case now if I look at
this and I say, okay, Auckland is now the place
where we do the filming, not so much Wellington? Is
that fair?

Speaker 2 (02:22):
No? I mean where Auckland's about sixty percent of the
screen industry. It's always had a role, but Wellington's are
also important and New Zealand itself a relatively small part
of the international market, so on the whole we're actually
selling New Zealand rather than Auckland or Wellington, and there's
always competition for studio space when these big productions come along.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Nick, it's good to.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Talk to you.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Thank you so much. Nick Hill of Auckland Unlimited. He's
the chief executive there. For more from Heather Duplessye Alan Drive.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
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