The Waitaki district is to become "film friendly", adding impetus to its reputation as an area where big-name movies have been filmed.
Already, Oamaru's historic buildings have been used as backdrops in films and advertisements and the district's scenery has attracted movie-makers.
This includes a project which will have the Falstone camping reserves and Lake Benmore being transformed into a village on the Sea of Galilee for Kingdom Come, a film on the life of Christ. Filming starts early next year.
But the Waitaki District Council will go a step further by signing a "film friendly" deal with Film New Zealand for promoting the district to the international film industry.
Council corporate services group manager Stephen Halliwell said gaining "film friendly" status recognised the council had processes and policies in place to meet film industry needs.
Many film projects involved crossing boundaries between districts, therefore it was desirable for the industry to have consistent and transparent policies.
So far, 32 districts have signed the agreement including Central Otago, Dunedin, Queenstown Lakes and Christchurch.
To become "film friendly", councils needed to adopt film-friendly processes and policies without compromising their statutory obligations. They needed to have a film friendly process guide and Waitaki was developing a draft document.
