Avatar Film Director Builds New Zealand Home

One of Hollywood’s leading film
directors has snapped up 2,500 acres of beautiful New Zealand farmland to build
a home for his family.  James
Cameron, director of Avatar – the
highest grossing film in cinema history – intends to build a property in Pounui
Ridge, on New Zealand’s North Island.

While the government have
welcomed Mr Cameron, who intends to film two sequels to the smash hit movie in
the country, many New Zealanders are concerned about an escalating ‘land grab’
by wealthy foreigners.  Keep
reading to learn more.

Locals concerned over foreign ‘land grab’

Earlier this year, Cameron,
director of films including Titanic
and Aliens, spent an estimated $16
million (£10.2 million) to buy 2,500 acres of farmland around Lake Pounui.  The New
York Times reports that ‘now he expects to absorb its magic while creating
some of his own in a pair of sequels that will build on the story of Pandora
and on an ecological mythos that helped make Avatar, released by 20th Century Fox in 2009, the biggest-selling
film of all time.’

The New Zealand government has
welcomed the purchase as it sees big budget Hollywood film-making as a growth
industry.  Mr Cameron’s permanent
presence would almost certainly ‘move the dial’ of the national economy, said
Steven Joyce, the country’s economic development minister.

However, many locals are
concerned that wealthy foreigners are set to build on the beautiful New Zealand
landscape and restrict access for visitors.  Cameron has already closed a small hall on his land that was
previously used for wedding receptions, severing the public from what he now
calls ‘his lake’.

Commenting on Cameron’s deal, The Waikato Times said: “Hordes are
bound to follow from Hollywood,” poking fun at the outcry by envisioning
pristine hillsides “festooned with trophy homes” in an “obscene showcase of bad
taste.”