Liaison group for North Otago film set

Demand for North Otago to be used as a film set has prompted the Waitaki Development board to set up a film liaison group.

As film crews for the movie The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe descended on Oamaru to start filming this week, board general manager Susan Houston said the liaison group would comprise members of the Waitaki District Council, Waitaki Development Board, Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust, and Tourism Waitaki.

"It will become a one-stop shop, basically. It will have all the right people in one place to handle all the enquiries," she said.

Mrs Houston said the new group would be good for the movie industry and the community. The spin-offs from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe went right across the board.

"The economic benefits are obvious. We have a lot of people in town at the moment and it's just coming up to our busy season."

Other film companies are considering using the Waitaki District's assets.

"We have been talking with two other film companies," Mrs Houston said. They were drawn to Oamaru because of its uniqueness.

"Our scenery and history are great backdrops."

About 500 people have descended on the area for filming of CS Lewis' classic tale, which started on Tuesday.

Five weeks would be spent in the South Island, including Queenstown and Canterbury. Two of those weeks are to be spent in North Otago.

Publicist Ernie Malik said tourists would be finding it tough to find accommodation in Oamaru.

"We're scattered around everywhere - private homes, bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels - you name it, everywhere," he said.

"It's absolutely beautiful down here, especially the weather which was not what we experienced in Auckland. It's great. It's a very refreshing change from the big city."

The weather was a key factor for filming in the South Island.

"Most of the filming in the South Island is all the exterior parts, so we need to have fine weather. But so far it's been amazing," Mr Malik said.

- NZPA