A proposed film studio in Te Awanga, aimed at bringing big Hollywood producers to Hawke’s Bay, could fall over … fate in hands of Hearings Commissioner.
If it goes ahead, Parkhill Studios would be one of two new production facilities championed by industry entrepreneurs Tony Keddy and his brother-in-law Havelock North-based Derek Slade (as No. 8 Studios) to bolster New Zealand’s international movie production capacity. The second smaller studio is under development in Rangiora, Christchurch.
Despite the investors having support from councils and local iwi, after a lengthy planning and troubleshooting process, a group of anonymous residents close to the proposed site threatened a legal injunction unless the consultation was widened to include them.
No. 8 studios agreed in the interests of everyone having their say, with an independent commissioner making the final decision, Slade said.
After the consultation net was widened, the majority of submissions to the consent application then opposed it, mostly on the basis of increased noise and heavy traffic, road safety and amenity value.
Hastings District Council chief executive Nigel Bickle said submissions to the resource consent closed on June 27, and a total of 10 formal submissions were received.
“Of these, one is in support, six oppose, two support subject to the imposition of conditions, and one seeks the inclusion of conditions but does not state whether they seek the consent to be declined or granted.”
A resource consent hearing is in the process of being scheduled, and is likely to begin on October 10. Independent hearings commissioner Kitt Littlejohn has been appointed to make the decision on the consent following the hearing, Bickle said.
The consent application proposes the construction of a new 2.5 km private road across existing farm land as the main access to the site, and a number of improvements to Parkhill Road, and its intersections with Raymond Road and East Road.
No. 8 Studios would widen the carriageway on Parkhill Road, install raised pedestrian crossing platforms and a splitter island, improve traffic sightlines and lighting, and provide additional carparking near the local kindergarten, the consent application states.
Submitters are worried the new access road would lead to Parkhill Road becoming the preferred access route to other businesses and facilities in the area, currently accessed via Gordon Road and that this will exacerbate already dangerous intersections at East road and Raymond Road.
The local kindergarten and school, an informal skate park and regular cyclists taking trips to Te Awanga winery may be vulnerable from increased traffic and risk of road accidents and the proposed mitigations were not considered to be sufficient. A separate shared pedestrian and cycle path and a roundabout at the intersection with Raymond Road were proposed as potentially acceptable compromises.
If consent is granted, the studio is likely to cost up to $60 million and service pent-up demand from overseas film production companies to come to New Zealand – including interest from Ron Howard’s production company, Imagine Entertainment. Its unique selling point will be Hawke’s Bay’s stunning, but yet un-filmed landscapes, along with the studio and production offices all in one place.
Slade estimated the studio would bring in between US$4 million and $5m (NZ$6.3m-$8m) a week, from day one. With time and the development of local support businesses, there would be an inevitable ‘multiplier effect’, while also providing ample employment opportunities for locals.
No. 8 Studios, which would develop the Parkhill site, have approached EIT for a potential two-week course to be added onto other national training programmes, geared towards the movie industry and studio training needs, as many trades and services would be required.
Slade said the investment to date had already run into the hundreds of thousands. Working with a planner, an initial list of 48 industrial and rural locations was eventually whittled down to one – Parkhill Road. The area is already designated as a preferred area for major sub-divisions.
But there was no getting around the opposition, except to go through the hearing to resolve it, Slade said.
“It’s tough. They have a right to be there and they were there before we were. We are all ratepayers and everyone has a voice.”
He remains philosophical.
“We genuinely feel that what it is and what we are proposing is good. We think there’s a balance, but you are not going to please everybody.”
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Maybe the nimbees get too much influence when the project is for the greater good!
It would appear NIMBYism is alive and well in Te Awanga
Seriously selfish and mainly quite recent residents standing in the way of real progress not just more houses
And remaining anonymous!
A modern relevant business/facility for the bay … fits the ethos .. the can t culture strikes again … make sure the community impacts nailed and lets have a modern film production facility we have the climate for it and the wider community will.
Best of luck to all involved .
But the quoted interest from overseas is just talk . 6-8m from day one ? sounds highly unlikely. Shame they have to have access past the schools.
That there aren’t many studios that don’t survive without tax breaks is also a concern. Once built , the possibility of requesting council funding to cover short will be high. Hope the council have done their DD.
This is such an amazing asset for our community and fits so well with the artistic culture we have I fully support this development .Our family has lived here our whole lives.
We have a certain style of life out here on the Coast. it is a style that people look for and move to the coast to enjoy and in a lot of cases to bring their children up in. then we bring in more and more houses and now a multimillion dollar movie studio and one day these same people look around and wonder where our lifestyle that attracted them to here has gone.
Change is inevitable. Progress will happen anyway .. either embrace it or hate it. It’s an extraordinary opportunity .
Bugger – I should have made a submission in support – sad when just 6 can inhibit a positive development like this.
Where does ‘The area is already designated as a preferred area for major sub-divisions’ come from? Is this something in writing from the council or from discussion with council planners? This is a seminal piece of information as it has been stated in a recent court case that the council has no master plan for this area.
As usual, a small number of people hold up development of our region, economy and country, because they think their (mostly imagined) rights override everybody else’s actual rights. This is why NZ is going backwards.
Having lived in Wellington for over 25 years and for the first eight years in Worser Bay (next door to Fran Walsh and 1 door away from Peter Jackson before Fran and Peter were a couple). Peter had Wingnut Films and was working on Braindead and then eventually teamed with Fran on Heavenly Creatures. This development brings a magnitude of value, it is about developing economic opportunities for a region and country and providing creative and artistic opportunities for our budding film talent and employment opportunities for thousands of people over long periods of film production time as well as future tourism opportunities. Academy Awards, Best Directors, BAFTA’s and more don’t come without progress, government support, teams of talented people and millions of dollars of investment, and therefore is more than just interrupting the idealist lifestyle of a few. Opposing this development is opposing all of those possibilities, in this day and age, we need to support great projects, entrepreneurs with great vision and our talented Kiwis. From Wingnut Film Studio to Park Road Post in Miramar Wellington, located near at least four local schools, small seaside village townships and the main route to Wellington’s international airport. Take a leaf out of the book of the residents of Miramar, Seatoun, Worser Bay, Kilbirnie and the greater Wellington Region, and embrace the change as so many will positively benefit in the long term. I wholeheartedly support this development, and I hope the residents opposing will have a generous change of heart. Finally, Napier has already lost the redevelopment of the National Aquarium = lost opportunity, lost economic development and tourism opportunity, very short-sighted!
Does anyone have an update on this please?