NZ to Spend Another Half Billion Dollars to Lure Hollywood Back to ‘Wellywood’

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has committed another $577 million to the film subsidy fund.
NZ to Spend Another Half Billion Dollars to Lure Hollywood Back to ‘Wellywood’
Visitors can take a guided tour of the Hobbiton movie set in New Zealand. Timo Kaestner/Shutterstock
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The New Zealand government is to try to regain the country’s status as a movie location of choice for big-budget Hollywood productions—something that saw Wellington widely referred to as “Wellywood” in its heyday.

To do so, available funding for the International Screen Production Rebate will increase to $250 million (US$147 million) for 2024/25, and to $210 million from 2025/26 onwards.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.