Natural Disasters and Industry Resilience

Hi all,

A lot can happen in three months. The last time I sat down to write one of these was a few weeks before Christmas. And since then it seems the country spent a month plunging into one natural disaster after another.

To all our friends and Guild members in Auckland and Te Tairāwhiti, the first months of 2023 have been a brutal reminder of what the weather can do to us, with only a few days' warning, if any time at all.

We hope you are all safe and uninjured and that the damage to your properties and equipment has been minimal. But, we fear that might not be the case for everyone.

As an industry that relies on seasonal weather, exterior work sites and international travel, we are going to be hearing a lot more about the climate and the part we all have to play in it over the next few years and beyond.

There are plenty of people who will tell you that as long as the USA, China and India are still burning coal and drilling for oil, then there is nothing practical that we can do to help the crisis. And there are others who will say that it is up to everybody and every industry to do their part—and to lead by example.

But right now, we clean up, rebuild and—hopefully—move forward.

In this issue you'll find a well-informed piece on online security, an introduction to the brilliant crew and equipment at NZ Camera Cars, a short piece from the Film Commission to welcome the new CEO, who we will be hearing from properly in our next issue, and one of the best and most thoughtfully written "newbie" profiles you will ever see. Welcome Christopher Stratton. You're off to a flying start.

We also have a piece from Gary Watkins at Avalon Studios, to clarify exactly where that facility is at and what the availability of studio space is in the immediate future.

And as always, we have regional wrap-ups from all over the motu and pieces from President Brendon Durey and the executive.

Thank you for reading. It's always a happy challenge to put NZTECHO together and we hope this issue has some stuff in it that is of use to you.

Graeme and Jason