Bay of Plenty Film Growth

In the Bay of Plenty, it was incredibly exciting last week to receive the news from a local producer that their 6-part drama series has been greenlit for funding and is expected to go into production later this year. We are also expecting to hear confirmation in mid-July about funding for another drama series shooting in Rotorua and Western Bay in spring and also two feature films set in different parts of the region. There is a co-production feature film looking to shoot in the Taupō district in late summer, and we have just hosted a producer in the Western Bay who was doing the initial scouting/consultation for an Australian/NZ co-pro TV series that they are hoping to shoot in Maketu in Spring 2021. Post-production on the pilot of a web series, set in and showcasing Mount Maunganui, is also almost finished so that now the producers can actively start seeking production funding. We are currently assisting a TV series set in Eastern Bay with finding development funding. It is great to see the foundations of the hard work and planning that the trustees of Film Bay of Plenty and the wider screen community have been putting in over the last three years truly coming to fruition. We are also expecting to have an exciting announcement about infrastructure in the region in early July, and have been working equally hard so that this opportunity pays off in local jobs as well.