Ruth Harley
Ruth Harley has been a leader and change agent across 30 years in the screen industry. She was commissioning editor at TVNZ, then the first Executive Director of NZ On Air. From 1997 she spent a decade as CEO of the NZ Film Commission, then crossed the Tasman to head the newly created Screen Australia for five years. In 1997 Harley was awarded an OBE, and in 2006 was named a CNZM.
Grahame McLean
Veteran producer and production designer Grahame McLean helped organise the shoots of a run of landmark Kiwi productions, from The Games Affair to Sleeping Dogs. Later he brought TV success Worzel Gummidge down under, and became the first — and will likely long remain one of the few — New Zealanders to direct two feature films back to back.
Lauren Jackson
Aged 15, Lauren Jackson swapped high school and amateur theatre to star in movie Alex, inspired by the Tessa Duder bestseller about a teenage swimmer who competes in the Olympic Games. Time in Germany fuelled the writing of both Jackson's first play (the award-winning Exchange), and university studies on the German and Kiwi film industries. Since graduating from acting school Toi Whakaari in 2001, she has appeared on stage and screen, and directed two short films: family tale I'm Going to Mum's — which won four awards, and was invited to the 2013 Berlin Film Festival — and 2017 drama Tree.
John McKay
John McKay is a veteran sound editor, sound designer, and mixer. He abandoned an early focus on directing to build a diverse, respected career in post-production. His credits include significant contributions to iconic films The Quiet Earth, Footrot Flats, Kitchen Sink, and Lord of the Rings. McKay is notable for an approach which combines creativity with a high level of technical craft and organisational rigour.
Tim Woodhouse
Tim Woodhouse has cut some of New Zealand’s most celebrated documentaries since crossing from Australia in 1989. Although he won a Best Editing award for drama Staunch, Woodhouse has largely specialised in documentary. En route he has worked with director Leanne Pooley on Haunting Douglas, Topp Twins hit Untouchable Girls, Beyond The Edge (about Hillary on Everest), and animated film 25 April.
Julie Christie
Julie Christie, DNZM, is one of New Zealand's most successful television producers. She built her company, Touchdown Productions, into the country's leading producer of entertainment television and exporter of programme formats. In 2006 she sold Touchdown to global company Eyeworks in a multi-million dollar deal; she stayed on as managing director until 2012.
Allan Martin
Allan Martin, OBE, worked as a television executive on both sides of the Tasman, but had his roots in programme making. He began making TV in England in the early 60s. Returning home, he developed influential programmes for the NZBC in Compass and Town and Around. Headhunted by the ABC in Australia, he returned to NZ in 1975 to set up the new second channel, and later became Director-General of TVNZ.
John Cavill
Cinematographer John Cavill was trained in the glory days of state television. After entering the industry at the age of 17, he went on to film everything from comedy to sports — then from the late 1990s, globally successful shows like Hercules, Xena and Spartacus. His CV reflects his experience in shooting action and visual effects. In 2018 Cavill won a Daytime Emmy for Chinese-American production Scars of Nanking.
Enid Eiriksson
Enid Eiriksson began working in the design department in the early days of second channel South Pacific Television. She went on to design costumes for classic fashion showcase Gloss and award-winning drama Children of Fire Mountain, plus a slew of popular entertainers — including Billy T James, The Yandall Sisters and Prince Tui Teka.
Jason Gunn
Jason Gunn is one of the most recognised faces on New Zealand television. He began as a presenter on children's TV. These days Gunn is best known for hosting top-rating programme Dancing with the Stars and the game show Wheel of Fortune.