Sir Peter Jackson: Movie museum and convention centre 'awkward bedfellows'

Thursday, 11 October 2018

Sir Peter Jackson's ill-fated Wellington movie museum was on shaky ground from the outset.

A joint movie museum and convention centre plan was launched by Wellington City Council with much fanfare in December 2015.

But it wasn't long before Jackson raised 'concerns' about plan changes, the designers and the convention centre taking precedence, which had driven his team 'to the end of their tether'.

The $180 million project was pulled in August 2018 when Jackson's company, The Movie Museum Ltd (TMML), and the council jointly announced the 'mutually-agreed parting of the ways' for the venture.

**READ MORE:

Initial plans for a Sir Peter Jackson movie museum were scrapped following disagreement between Jackson and Wellington City Council.

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* Curtain falls on council-Sir Peter Jackson movie museum for capital

* Wellington City councillors ask for business case to make decision on convention centre**

Last week Stuff reported newly-released documents portrayed how desperate the council was to get an ultimately-doomed movie museum project with Jackson's backing off the ground.

But the latest tranche of documents, released to Stuff this week, reveal Jackson raised concerns early in the project.

Peter Jackson's Letter by Anonymous jlKATDoSIW on Scribd

Jackson wrote to council chief executive, Kevin Lavery, in December 2016 and questioned if the joint project would work.

'Please understand we completely respect the council's wish to have a convention centre and a museum in the same building and in theory this should be achievable.

'But this recent round of revisions confirms our long-held fear that museums and convention centres are awkward bedfellows, at best.

Sir Peter Jackson said had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultancy and management fees and made a commitment to spend a further $45 million on the internal fit out of the building.

'In fact it has left us wondering if a plan to shoehorn the two together can ever be truly workable?'

Jackson said it was difficult for him to commit to a museum design that appeared to take second place to the needs of the council's convention centre.

In the letter, Jackson expresses his unhappiness at Studio Pacific Architecture's design, suggesting the council review other design submissions that could better accommodate the museum's needs before awarding it the contract.

Sir Peter Jackson said designer Pacific Architecture's ongoing determination to chip away at floor space compromised the look and flow of major displays.

'When we first entered into this discussion with the council, the plan presented to us was relatively simple … We have worked in good faith to this brief.

'Since then, there has been a constant erosion of the museum space, to provide for the ever-expanding needs of the convention centre and other parties, including retail stores unrelated to us.'

Jackson said he appreciated the enormous contribution of Wellington ratepayers but said: 'Frankly, the whole exercise is pointless if the end result is a profound disappointment'.

Jackson pointed out how TMML 'put a massive amount of time and energy' into making the partnership work including attempting to incorporate all the council mandated changes 'in the spirit of achieving consensus'.

'But [Studio] Pacific Architecture's ongoing determination to chip away away at much-needed floor space compromising the look and flow of major displays, has driven us to the end of our tether.'

He had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultancy and management fees, and made a commitment to spend a further $45m on the internal fit-out of the building.

Artist impressions of the original designs for Wellington City Council's combined convention centre and movie museum, which Jackson suggested should have been reviewed.

The documents also revealed Jackson had provided a vast number of props and sets - valued at more than $100m and the museum planned to host a Lord of the Rings Journey exhibition.

On Thursday, a spokesman for TMML said the joint statement it issued in August still stood that - despite the best efforts of all parties - the economics of the Cable St location proved to be challenging for the movie museum.

Jackson was not ruling out a capital-based museum in the future and was considering other options.

* An earlier version of this story referred to Pacific Architecture. The building was designed by Studio Pacific Architecture.

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