Oscar winner gives Vision for Wellington a Titanic launch

Wednesday, 19 February 2025

Panellists at Vision for Wellington’s first event said the city needs leaders to listen, be respectful and bring in innovation.

Vision for Wellington on Wednesday hosted its first event, a Michael Fowler Centre launch highlighting multi-Oscar winning Canadian film director James Cameron.

What unfolded was a discussion about possibilities, not rates, rate rises or cycle lanes (until 46 minutes in).

While saying it is politically neutral the group has targeted Wellington City Council's 'inability to rein in spending', 'in-fighting” and “ideology-fuelled decision-making'.

Mayor Tory Whanau says the group consists of “wealthy and privileged individuals who have close connections to the National government”.

Dames Kerry Prendergast, Patsy Reddy, and Therese Walsh are in it, as is The Post and Stuff owner Sinead Boucher, and business leaders Sir Bob Jones, Rob Morrison and Myles Gazley.

James Cameron speaks at Vision for Wellington.

In 2010, Time named the artistically and financial successful Cameron one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Director of Titanic and Avatar, he now lives in Roseneath.

And here he was - a “couple of months” away from getting his citizenship - influencing an event touted as the beginning of a conversation about what makes a city thrive.

On a large screen behind the stage were the words “What makes a world-class city and how does Wellington become one.”

A crowd “close to 1000” - older, speckled with young professionals - sat waiting on answers, having outside run a pamphlet gauntlet seeking to save the City to Sea bridge.

Former NZSO chief executive Peter Biggs opened the forum with a broad sweep.

“We're firmly fixed on a positive future for the city, we want inspiration for excellence, but we are very conscious that we face a complex problem, and the answers will take time,” he said.

James Cameron makes a point with, from left, MC Paddy Gower, gaming professional Emma Procter and urban planner Stuart Niven.

Cameron highlighted aspects Wellington had, that other cities he’d lived in such as Malibu in California did not.

It was attractive with its vibrant screen sector, infrastructure, talent, and work ethic, he said. It was a perfect size, with amenities and culture without big city anonymity.

“I could live anywhere in the world. I've got a lot of filmmaker friends who love to live in Paris or Montreal or Vancouver and so on it's a global business,” he said.

“There's just something about this city. First of all, the weather's character building … doesn't matter if it's raining horizontally … people are out there, they're leaning into life.”

James Cameron loves living in Wellington.

Wellington needed new blood, the Maori community and the film industry to go global.

“(Film) really is part of the heart and soul of this city. It's one of the things that sets it apart. We have to be deliberate about it. We have to support it,” he said.

“If we're supportive of the arts, if we're supportive of culture, these are things that we can do, if we're supportive of the film sector, if we're supportive of our kids going to school to learn the craft to learn the design skills, or technical skills.”

Emma Procter of the gaming company PikPok said the sector was a good way to future proof Wellington.

“Gaming skill sets used in the game entertainment industry are being adopted across lots of different industries right now, so gaming tends to be at the pointy end of creativity, technology and commerce,” she said. “It's a really good thing to get involved in.”

Urban designer Stuart Niven said the Wellington landscape was unique.

“It's a landscape everybody can see has been created by earthquakes that's thrown us up. We live in suburbs which are physically really well defined,” he said.

“They're either a bowl or they're at water’s edge. Consequently, there's a really strong association with the place that we live.”