New Zealand to rewrite labor laws for Peter Jackson
Back in June, I blogged a too-good-to-check item from the Daily Mail about rapper Snoop Dogg trying to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein for a music video shoot. As absurd as that story sounded, I was reminded of it by the news that New Zealand has just agreed to rewrite its labor laws to ...
Back in June, I blogged a too-good-to-check item from the Daily Mail about rapper Snoop Dogg trying to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein for a music video shoot. As absurd as that story sounded, I was reminded of it by the news that New Zealand has just agreed to rewrite its labor laws to accommodate the filming of Peter Jackson's new Hobbit movie:
Warner Bros and New Line had considered taking the production elsewhere after acting unions threatened to boycott the films in a row over wages.
"I am delighted we have achieved this result," PM John Key said at 0720 BST. "Making the two Hobbit movies here will not only safeguard work for thousands of New Zealanders, but it will also follow the success of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in once again promoting New Zealand on the world stage."
Back in June, I blogged a too-good-to-check item from the Daily Mail about rapper Snoop Dogg trying to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein for a music video shoot. As absurd as that story sounded, I was reminded of it by the news that New Zealand has just agreed to rewrite its labor laws to accommodate the filming of Peter Jackson’s new Hobbit movie:
Warner Bros and New Line had considered taking the production elsewhere after acting unions threatened to boycott the films in a row over wages.
"I am delighted we have achieved this result," PM John Key said at 0720 BST. "Making the two Hobbit movies here will not only safeguard work for thousands of New Zealanders, but it will also follow the success of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in once again promoting New Zealand on the world stage."
As part of the arrangement, the New Zealand government will introduce legislation to clarify the distinction between independent contractors and employees working in the film production industry.
Thousands took to the streets in Wellington and Auckland earlier this week carrying signs with slogans like "New Zealand is Middle Earth" and "We Love Hobbits," when Jackson suggested he might move the production elsewhere. Economists have said that losing the production could have cost New Zealand as much as $1.5 billion — more than 1 percent of its GDP. Precious!
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy

Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.

So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.

Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.

Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.