Our Film Region

The Central Film region incorporates some of New Zealand’s most pristine coastline, tropical and exotic forests, magnificent lakes, numerous and diverse rivers and of course, volcanoes.
Film Central is a partnership of Regions within New Zealand, with a population of around 450,000. We are situated 2.5 hours South of Auckland International Airport, and represent a huge, accessible volcanic region of New Zealand.

We are:

Taupo,
Rotorua,
South Waikato,
Kawerau,
Whakatane,
Tauranga,
Mount Maunganui,
Western Bay of Plenty.

From Mountains as a backdrop, to Hot Water Beaches, walking through craters, dappled glades beside streams to the tumbling water of water falls…into the redwood forests, fabulous rolling farmland, citrus vines, vineyards, mining, to the crystal waters and white sandy beaches of the South Pacific Ocean…coastlines to blow you away, rocky, mountainous, changeable and mysterious…and we have access to all of this.

Because successful film creation involves far more than just wonderful and unique vistas, we are building a database of suppliers and partners who are geared up to respond to the challenging and urgent nature of screen production. Together, we take pride in meeting and exceeding a production company’s requirements. We are sure you will see the advantages in what we have to offer, so contact us now - we look forward to a future association. The distances between locations are not great, most can be covered in a few hours drive, or one hour in a helicopter. 

Climate

As the Film Central region is sheltered by high country to the south and east, it has less wind than many other parts of New Zealand. Being inland, a wide range of temperature is experienced. Warm, dry and settled weather predominates during summer. Typical summer daytime maximum air temperatures range from 21°C to 26°C, rarely exceeding 30°C. Winters are cool and this is normally the most unsettled time of the year. Typical winter daytime maximum air temperatures range from 10°C to 14°C. Frosts occur in clear, calm conditions in winter. Sunshine hours average 2000 to 2100 in most places. Southwesterlies prevail. Lake breezes often occur in Taupo and Rotorua on warm summer days. (Source: NIWA)

New Zealand's climate is complex and varies from warm subtropical in the far north to cool temperate climates in the far south, with severe alpine conditions in the mountainous areas.

Mountain chains extending the length of New Zealand provide a barrier for the prevailing westerly winds, dividing the country into dramatically different climate regions. The West Coast of the South Island is the wettest area of New Zealand, whereas the area to the east of the mountains, just over 100 km away, is the driest.

Most areas of New Zealand have between 600 and 1600 mm of rainfall, spread throughout the year with a dry period during the summer. Over the northern and central areas of New Zealand more rainfall falls in winter than in summer, whereas for much of the southern part of New Zealand, winter is the season of least rainfall.

Mean annual temperatures range from 10°C in the south to 16°C in the north of New Zealand. The coldest month is usually July and the warmest month is usually January or February. In New Zealand generally there are relatively small variations between summer and winter temperatures, although inland and to the east of the ranges the variation is greater (up to 14°C). Temperatures also drop about 0.7°C for every 100 m of altitude.

Sunshine hours are relatively high in areas that are sheltered from the west and most of New Zealand would have at least 2000 hours annually. The midday summer solar radiation index (UVI) is often very high in most places and can be extreme in northern New Zealand and in mountainous areas. Autumn and spring UVI values can be high in most areas.

Most snow in New Zealand falls in the mountain areas. Snow rarely falls in the coastal areas of the North Island and west of the South Island, although the east and south of the South Island may experience some snow in winter. Frosts can occur anywhere in New Zealand and usually form on cold nights with clear skies and little wind.