Things like this really get my goat.
Filming on conservation land is becoming so difficult that some parts of The Lord of Rings movies would not be able to be filmed if they were being made today, Film New Zealand chairman Julian Grimmond says.Speaking at the Inland Otago Conservation Awards this week, Mr Grimmond said it was becoming “increasingly fraught” to get access to film on conservation land.
Recent national park management plans and other Department of Conservation strategies often ignored the economic benefits of the screen-production industry, he said.
They also ignored the transient and manageable nature of filming.
“The film industry is important to New Zealand because of its high growth potential and its ability to drive growth in other industries, such as tourism.
New Zealand has a large amount of land protected. Huge in fact, and increasing.
And it seems that the definition of “protected” is increasing too. If we can’t film on conservation land, how long before we can’t even walk on it, lest a blade of grass gets trampled?
Filming shows people our countryside, and hence brings people in to see it for themselves. That brings in money to protect it – a virtuous cycle. Cut that cycle, and the opposite occurs. Less money means less land can be protected.
Seems some people have lost sight of the big picture.
Stories like this are getting all too common, so I’ve added a new category called “A Disappearing Balance” where I intend to document stories like this where people just can’t manage to keep sight of the big picture. Of course, the whole S59 debate should also be filed in that category.
HT: Homepaddock
Written by scrubone
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