New Chair Elected

29 July 2004.

New Chair Elected At First Meeting Of Film New Zealand Trustees

Film New Zealand, now reconstituted as a trust, has elected a new chair.

He is well-known sound recordist David Madigan, a former president of the New Zealand Film and Video Technicians Guild, who has more than 25 years’ experience working on feature films, television series and television commercials.

He was elected at the first Board meeting of nine newly-appointed trustees of Film New Zealand, which is responsible for marketing the New Zealand screen production industry.

“I am excited to be able to lead the further development of Film New Zealand’s mission to support our internationally acclaimed film industry,” said Mr. Madigan.

Sue Thompson was elected deputy chair. The Chief Executive Officer of Peter Jackson’s Film Unit and Park Road Post, she has served as Film New Zealand’s Chair for the past four years.

The meeting was also attended by Film New Zealand’s new Chief Executive Officer Judith McCann who took up her position this month after returning to Wellington from Canada. Ms McCann, a former chief executive officer of the New Zealand Film Commission and the South Australian Film Corporation, said after the meeting that she looks forward to working with the Board members who are a strong, committed and dynamic group with valuable experience from across the industry and within Government.

The other Board members are producers Trishia Downie and Don Reynolds, line producers Murray Francis and Chloe Smith, Peter Avery of FilmVenture Taranaki and representative of the Regional Film Offices, NZ Film Commission Chief Executive Officer Ruth Harley (representing also the Large Budget Expenditure Grant Scheme), and Investment New Zealand’s Investment Manager for Screen Production Paul Voigt.

One of Judith McCann’s first tasks will be to work with the Board in progressing Film New Zealand’s new Strategic Plan. She has had initial meetings with Actors Equity & the Technicians Guild, SPADA, the Screen Council and Government agencies and ministries, and will be hosting the second annual forum with regional film offices in Wellington next week.

Her other initiatives will include information sessions with line producers and locations experts, planning the next round of international markets where Film New Zealand promotes the New Zealand screen production industry, working with the Screen Council on training opportunities, and discussing how to achieve a stable funding base for Film New Zealand.

After the Board meeting, a reception was held to farewell retiring trustees Geoff Dixon, Nigel Hutchinson and Chris Webb. The new Board also farewelled acting chief executive Louise Baker, and praised her work managing Film New Zealand’s restructuring into the new Trust. She will continue as a Film New Zealand consultant on Department of Conservation issues while she re-enters the production industry. Key contacts within Film New Zealand are now: Judith McCann CEO; Susan Ord, Projects Manager; Justine Jungersen-Smith, Systems Manager; and Rewa Morgan, Office Manager.

ENDS

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