Lawmakers in New Zealand who subjected citizens to brutal restrictions during Covid are now being blamed for the country losing one of its greatest assets: the Lord of the Rings franchise.
The blockbuster fantasy franchise has become synonymous with New Zealand ever since filmmaker Peter Jackson brought the first movie to his native country.
Iconic spots in Middle-earth from The Shire to Mount Doom were brought to life on screen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by a string of famous New Zealand destinations.
However, the country has lost its grip on the franchise after Prime Video’s prequel series The Rings of Power made the huge decision to move filming to the UK for its second series for the first time in LOTR’s history.
The multi-million fantasy series, set to debut on August 29, instead returned to JRR Tolkien’s homeland and was filmed in scenic UK locations including around Surrey and Berkshire.
The huge move divided fans and left locals devastated as New Zealand has long been known as the home of Middle-earth, but light has now been shed on exactly how the country lost its hold on LOTR.
Sources claimed the $1billion project was relocated partly due to New Zealand’s severe Covid protocols, as well as Amazon’s investment in a costly new UK studio space.
The first series was hit by slight delays amid New Zealand’s strict Covid protocols, with actors even sharing concerns at the time that the show wouldn’t finish filming.
The Lord of the Rings franchise has become synonymous with New Zealand, but The Rings of Power has relocated to the UK for the first time ever (pictured: lead star Morfydd Clark)
The series was among many global productions to halt filming in March 2020, with production resuming around September 2020 and wrapping up in August 2021.
But in a huge loss for New Zealand, the second series was then relocated to the UK in a massive change, despite having already received rebates from the NZ government.
The shock news that NZ’s landscapes would no longer feature in Middle-earth came at the same time that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said strict Covid border controls would continue until 2022.
Amazon had invested heavily in sets and facilities in New Zealand to help pull off its $465million debut season – a budget which Amazon’s Jennifer Salke said was because they were ‘building the infrastructure of what will sustain the whole series’.
The production had been offered a generous tax rebate from NZ to stay in the country, but decided to move to the UK after being offered a more favourable deal.
It reportedly received a 20 per cent tax break from the NZ government, a much higher rate than most productions, but stepped back from the deal.
At the time, Albert Cheng, co-head of TV for Amazon Studios, confirmed they were forgoing the extra five per cent financial uplift it could have received if production had remained in the country.
After rejecting NZ’s millions of dollars in incentives, sources claimed the UK was a more economical choice for Amazon moving forward after the company acquired the famous Bray Film Studios in Berkshire.
Sources claimed the $1billion project was relocated partly due to New Zealand’s severe Covid protocols, as well as Amazon’s investment in a costly new UK studio space (pictured: Scene in The Rings Of Power)
The program’s co-showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne admitted the decision was above both of their pay grades, citing Amazon’s desire to bring its productions all under one roof at their new UK studio space.
‘Amazon was building out its production apparatus here in the UK and it’s one of their largest shows,’ Payne told GQ earlier this year. ‘They wanted to bring it all under the same roof.’
The pair have since defended the divisive relocation, arguing that New Zealand was a step away from what JRR Tolkien would have imagined in the first place.
‘[England] is where Tolkien was writing about. This is the environment that he was reflecting in the actual texts – so in some ways, we feel like we’re bringing the Lord of the Rings home,’ McKay told news.com.au.
‘We always want every frame of the show and every world in the show to feel real and to feel grounded in an environment.
‘We want you to feel the air and the mist and the grass and the trees, and we always wanted it to feel like Middle-earth.
‘So while we shot season one in New Zealand and we shot season two here in the UK, in a perfect world, there’s a real continuity of look… and the extent to which it changes should also reflect the environments the characters are going to, and what’s going on emotionally in the story.’
‘It’s a different landscape, a different weather pattern. And all of that feeds into the kind of Middle-earth that is even closer to the one that readers might imagine in the books,’ McKay previously told GQ.
The pair previously paid tribute to their time shooting in New Zealand, sharing their dismay over leaving the country and former home of LOTR.
The showrunners have defended the divisive relocation, arguing that New Zealand was a step away from what JRR Tolkien would have imagined in the first place (pictured: LOTR scene)
Iconic spots in Middle-earth including Mount Doom (pictured: Tongariro) were brought to life on screen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by famous New Zealand destinations
Producer Lindsey Weber said: ‘It’s definitely a hard departure. We made some really close friendships in addition to working relationships with people there and I hope we’ll stay in touch with them all.’
‘We love New Zealand and we’re so incredibly grateful we got to spend so much time there with our families and the crew making this show,’ McKay told the Sunday Star-Times.
Despite The Rings of Power leaving the country, the New Zealand Film Commission have shared their hopes over other LOTR projects coming back to the country.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis – who are not linked to Amazon’s spin-off series – are working on a new LOTR film to be released in 2026, titled The Hunt for Gollum.
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Amid the news, the NZFC welcomed the prospect of further Middle-earth adventures returning to New Zealand, after being dealt the huge blow by The Rings of Power.
‘The announcement that Middle-earth may be returning to New Zealand, in the safe hands of Sir Peter Jackson, Dame Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens is incredible news,’ NZFC CEO Annie Murray told IF at the time.
‘The impact the original film series had on Aotearoa and the screen industry is significant and enduring.’
The original LOTR trilogy employed thousands of cast and crew over its five years of filming in New Zealand from 1999 until 2004.
Back in 2012, Tourism New Zealand reported a huge 50 per cent increase in tourism since the release of the smash hit fantasy trilogy.
More fans have flocked the country ever since The Shire was immortalised in the Hobbiton set tour in Matamata on the North Island after the set was rebuilt there to film The Hobbit.
Tourism New Zealand’s general manager Andrew Waddel told Daily Mail of The Rings of Power departure: ‘Aotearoa New Zealand has a long standing reputation as an international film making destination – from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, to Avatar and even the upcoming live-action film Minecraft.
‘We continue to have a strong connection to Middle-earth, with many international visitors still citing The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films as reasons for choosing New Zealand as a holiday destination.
The LOTR trilogy employed thousands over its five years of filming in New Zealand from 1999 until 2004, while The Shire has been immortalised in the Hobbiton set tour in Matamata
‘Once in New Zealand, 34 per cent of visitors went to a film location, or participated in a tour or experience, for example the only living film set Hobbiton in the North Island.
‘The first season of the Amazon series Rings of Power continues New Zealand’s association as the home of Middle Earth, and we look forward to seeing more visitors come to explore the dramatic landscapes and locations featured across the variety of movies and TV shows filmed in New Zealand.’
Meanwhile, Shane Wilson – the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment’s Manager Economic Development Policy – added: ‘Amazon Studios said that their decision was not influenced by New Zealand’s attractiveness as a film production location, nor does it rule out future productions coming to New Zealand.
‘The screen industry is highly competitive globally, and most countries with a prominent screen industry have a government incentive scheme of some nature.
‘New Zealand’s Screen Production Rebate has helped New Zealand develop into a globally renowned screen production destination and sustain the economic and cultural benefits the sector generates.
‘Since the production of the Lord of the Rings series shifted in following season one’s completion in June 2022, there has been a strong pipeline of other international screen productions in New Zealand so our screen sector is in good heart.’