Celebrating Matariki and Industry Growth
How wonderful is has been to see Matariki, the start of the Māori New Year, being celebrated across New Zealand. We have had some clear mornings which has made for easy star-gazing of the small pulsating collection of stars just above the north eastern horizon.
The Māori New Year, is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead.
Our team, Jade, Tracy and Elysia, have celebrated our first year being responsible for all that encompasses.
It has been an incredible journey of learning, discovery, connecting and creating. Covid presented some challenges but it also provided many opportunities, one being the advantage of our location in proximity to Auckland. By taking advantage of this we have seen a significant increase in inquiries. This increase into the Tauranga district has enabled them to allocate a dedicated film representative to focus on permitting requirements. Debbie Currin is incredible and will go the extra mile to get what’s needed done.
Film Bay of Plenty workshops have started up again. It's exciting to all be physically present again. These workshops are there for us all to up-skill and to network with other keen screen industry crew. We are mapping out the year so join our mailing list or social media to be kept up to date with announcements.
We are going into our next financial year with more confidence, wisdom and direction.
Working collaboratively with our local Bay of Plenty screen community, Board members, the 10 RFONZ offices and local Government and stakeholders, we are showcasing just how important the screen sector is to New Zealand's economic development.
As stated in a recent document from the 10 RFONZ (Regional Film Offices of NZ) to MBIE and MCH on the review of government investment in the screen sector. "The screen sector is the flag-bearer of a resilient cultural sector that, as Minister Carmel Sepuloni recently stated, brings excitement, comfort and joy in difficult times; it is the soul of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Additionally, the sector is a significant contributor to Aotearoa’s economic activity and a generator of high-quality jobs for New Zealanders."
And the response from RFONZ Chair Jasmine Millet: "Scale is where the production world is headed. This is a historic time for the industry. Never in the history of film and TV has so much content been made and it’s not just the quantity it’s the quality of the content. I do believe this is the true golden age of storytelling and content creation.
This is only good news if we believe that:
- the creative community can continue to come up with enough quality engaging content
- we have the ability to execute to produce that content
Lastly and by no means least we are excited to announce new Board members.
We give thanks and say goodbye to Paula Jones, who has been with Film Bay of Plenty since it’s inception. Paula has been a valuable asset to Film Bay of Plenty and has worked tirelessly to bring industry training through the Tohea program to fruition.
Our new Board members are Sharon Menzies – CEO Fulcrum Media, Kelly Martin – CEO South Pacific Pictures and Micah Winiata – Producer/Director. We look forward to what the new members bring to the table and what this means for the industry in the Bay.
Ma tatou te kāinga nei e whakanui, e whakatuara i te ao kiriata nei.
Let's make our home the place to film.
Let's collaborate, increase capability and content, celebrate culture, and contribute to a growing industry here in the Bay and across New Zealand.
Jade Kent and all the crew at Film BOP
