Christine Parker
Former magazine editor and continuity person Christine Parker made her name as a writer/director with three distinctive short films: One Man's Meat, in which Donogh Rees commits murder; Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows up another Obelisk, in which Rima Te Wiata has destructive supernatural powers; and bi-sexual romance Peach. Parker made her feature debut in 1999 with romantic drama Channelling Baby, starring Danielle Cormack and Kevin Smith.
Kirstin Marcon
Kirstin Marcon has made a number of short films while working as a graphic designer. She's Racing and Picnic Stops were both invited to a number of international festivals; accident drama She's Racing was awarded in Chicago. Her 2012 feature film debut The Most Fun You Can Have Dying — starring Matt Whelan as a young man living life to the max, in the time he has left — saw Marcon shooting in locations across Europe.
Rima Te Wiata
Stage and screen veteran Rima Te Wiata has showcased her talents as an actor (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), impersonator (More Issues), and singer (Little Shop of Horrors) — often all at the same time. In 2017 Te Wiata was awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit, for her work on film and television.
Caterina De Nave
Caterina De Nave, who passed away on 17 August 2014, helped break the glass ceiling for women working in local television. As a network executive at both TVNZ and TV3, she often commissioned new writing and directing talent, and was a key player in the development of Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune and Montana Sunday Theatre. In 2009 De Nave crossed the Tasman to join Australian broadcaster SBS.
Chris Plummer
Christopher Plummer went from playing punk music to cutting film, first at TVNZ editing documentaries, and then on a slate of award-winning films. They include the shorts Sure to Rise (Niki Caro), and Possum (Brad McGann); and feature films Channelling Baby, In My Father's Den, Black Sheep, No.2, Vincent Ward doco Rain of the Children, and Taika Waititi's breakout hit Boy.
Bill Gavin
New Zealander Bill Gavin began his film career in the United Kingdom. After arranging finance for everything from The Killing Fields to Sid and Nancy, he returned home in the 90s to produce a number of features, including What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? and Jubilee. During two years as Head of Feature Films at South Pacific Pictures, he helped develop and finance 2002 hit Whale Rider.
Keith Aberdein
Keith Aberdein is probably best known for playing the small-town policeman who arouses Bruno Lawrence's ire, in Kiwi screen classic Smash Palace. But his screen work covers almost every angle: from covering the Wahine disaster as a reporter, to directing, to writing scripts for some of the most ambitious television dramas of the 1970s.
Tim Sanders
Tim Sanders has worked on a number of New Zealand's most ambitious movie productions, including Whale Rider, The Lord of the Rings, and Perfect Creature. Originally based in Australia, Sanders is now better known as a New Zealand producer. He is noted for his pragmatic attitude and bent for commercial genre subjects.
Conon Fraser
As writer and presenter of The World Around Us, and producer of Looking at New Zealand, Conon Fraser was an early television celebrity. He joined the National Film Unit in 1969 and continued to make films documenting his adopted country’s landscape and history, and New Zealanders’ way of life. Fraser died on 17 June 2014, aged 84.
Richard Driver
Chairman of company Greenstone TV, Richard Driver first broke into television as host of music show Radio with Pictures. After directing documentary Hokonui Todd, the ex singer ran production company Visionary TV and produced music series Give it a Whirl and award-winner Love, Speed and Loss. He went on to create and programme Sky TV's Documentary Channel for four years, before selling it to the BBC.