COUNTRY CALENDAR: FILMING IN THE NORTH TARANAKI AREA

When the John Maynard Production Company moved into the North Taranaki area of [Uruti] it also brought with it, entertainment, employment and money. Alan Selby who put his farm on the market a year before, had no idea the wet, wintry conditions he wanted to leave, were just what the makers of New Zealand’s latest feature film “First Blood”were looking for. The farm had the three essential ingredients for the film: its rugged terrain, its isolation and a reliable rainfall.
In March, the film company leased a 16 hectare valley from him and built the set. Allan continued to work on his farm, as well as being employed to do various tasks on the set.
Director Vincent Ward worked on the story for 3 years and searched the North Island for 12 months before deciding on this location. The film’s about a farming family in the 1960s and Australian actor Bill Kerr played one of the four major roles.
The 35 crew on the set were warned about the cold, damp, muddy conditions, so life was often far from glamorous for those working a six day week, during the shoot.
Arthur Sutton, Barry Gardiner, retired dairy farmer Max Ray and Brian Coleman are a few of the locals who were also employed by the film company.