The arrival of multi-million-dollar film and TV productions in Auckland has put pressure on the city’s rental market, with property managers crying out for more high-end furnished rentals to house A-list stars and Hollywood crews.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series has been filming in studios in west Auckland and locations around New Zealand for almost a year.
The cast and crew includes Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona , British comedian Sir Lenny Henry, Spartacus actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson and rising star Ismael Cruz Cordova, who last lit up screens opposite Nicole Kidman in the hit TV series The Undoing.
Also in town are Star Trek actor John Cho and Jurassic World actress Daniella Pineda, who are filming Netflix sci-fi drama Cowboy Bebop, as well as Pulp Fiction star Tim Roth, who is shooting a new Kiwi film, PUNCH.
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Cowboy Bebop star John Cho, right, with fellow Star Trek actor Karl Urban in New Zealand last year. Photo / New Zealand Herald
Catherine Goodwin, who heads up Auckland property management firm Goodwins, said she had been working with many film and TV productions over the last two years, and expected demand to increase over the coming year.
New Zealand’s reputation as being Covid-free has made it an attractive location for film and TV projects, while Hollywood reels from rising Covid rates in the US and the UK.
Above, actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson and, below, comedian Sir Lenny Henry. Both star in the Lord of the Rings TV series. Photos / Getty Images
Goodwin could not disclose how many properties were needed for in-coming film crews but said most deals were struck off market.
“New Zealand is clearly becoming a preferred location post-Covid, so the number of film productions wanting to work here has been increasing,” she said.
Tenancies range from four weeks to a year, with production crews looking for fully furnished accommodation.
“The market for fully furnished rentals wasn’t big in New Zealand previously. It’s niche for us,” she said.
Demand for furnished accommodation in Auckland has increased. Photo / Supplied
Real Estate Institute of New Zealand chief executive Bindi Norwell told OneRoof that demand for furnished rentals would likely stay high while other countries tried to get Covid-19 under control.
“Productions such as Avatar and Lord of the Rings have definitely had an impact on demand for furnished accommodation,” she said.
The demand is likely to continue and even increase as New Zealand remains a desirable destination during the pandemic.
“This demand is adding pressure to an already tight market, particularly as furnished rentals are generally less common than unfurnished."
Avatar star Sigourney Weaver with director James Cameron. Both are making the sequel in Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
There is also a demand for medium-term furnished rentals from other recent arrivals, such as the America’s Cup crews and expats, Norwell said.
Goodwin said that Auckland home-owners with baches could make money renting out their main home while working remotely from the beach.
“The cool thing is that not everyone is coming from overseas and it’s a big economic benefit for New Zealand as a lot of people in the crew were already based in Auckland,” she said.
