The tiny town of Te Puke could soon be transformed into 'Te Pukewood' as part of a new initiative announced today, in a nod to the movie-making land of Hollywood.
The Te Puke Economic Development Group announced this morning their plans to establish the Te Puke region as the preferred production location for New Zealand film.
Managing director Mark Boyle said the initiative was inspired by the recent filming in Te Puke of the community resourced movie 'The ZNail Gang'.
Mr Boyle said the project captivated the community and people from all walks of life contributed to it's production.
The Te Puke region was strategically located and well resourced and within a small geographic region there were mountains, native flora and fauna, forests, geothermal activity, marae, superb coastline, rivers and streams, pristine agricultural and horticultural land, industrial activity, townships, villages and multicultural communities all with superb infrastructure, Mr Boyle said.