Our View: Now's not the time to be too precious

For something so small, The Hobbit sure did present a big, hairy problem for New Zealand.
One minute we're the film-making capital of Middle Earth, the next our Prime Minister's being roped in to save our movie industry from toppling into Mt Doom.
Last week that battle was won - we gots it, as Gollum might say.
Whoever was ultimately at fault in this whole debacle, it's clear some of our previously much loved actors lost the PR battle. And Cheryl (Wicked Witch of the) West wasn't the only villain of the piece. Yes, we got to heap scorn on nasty Australian union bloke Simon Whipp at the same time. Whipping boy indeed.
Throughout this saga no one said the actors didn't deserve decent pay and conditions. But the decision of the Australian-based union Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to blacklist and boycott The Hobbit for the wider purpose of collective negotiation reeked of short-sightedness and self interest.
Why was it Sir Peter Jackson's job to negotiate terms on behalf of others engaged in future production here in New Zealand?
Were the actors being treated unfairly or paid less than they're worth? Were their terms and conditions not what they'd signed up for?
Those answers haven't been forthcoming.
Did they just want a meeting to talk, as actors have been saying? According to latest reports the boycott was in place even before a meeting was requested.
Of course Kiwis are in love with The Hobbit, we're a nation whose national icon is also a small, brown, furry thing.
And if our Prime Minister had to meet with the movie's Hollywood backers to reassure them we're a great place to make The Hobbit, so be it.
As we reported in Wednesday's The Daily Post, if New Zealand lost the film, it wouldn't have been just cast and crew missing out. It would have been locals in Rotorua and the surrounding area as well.
John Key has been roundly criticised over concessions he's made to Warner Bros in his quest to keep The Hobbit here - including up to $34 million in tax breaks and and urgent change to labour laws.
But keep in mind that among the loudest critics were those like union boss Helen Kelly who gave rise to the problem in the first place and opposition MPs whose duty it was to cry foul.
There will be other cynics who see this as big business dictating changes to legislation.
But the financial cost will be made back several times over by the benefits. And if our employment law needs clarity, by all means make it clearer. That's not kow-towing.
If one benefit of this is rich Hollywood types want to keep making movies here - great.