Wellywood is an informal name for the city of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, New Zealand. The name—a conflation of Wellington and Hollywood—is a reference to the film production business established in the city by ''The Lord of the Rings'' film director Sir Peter Jackson, and Wellington-based special effects companies Weta Workshop and Weta Digital. The businesses operate a number of film-related facilities in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. In March 2010, the

Wellington Airport Wellington International Airport (formerly known as Rongotai Airport) is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington. It lies 3 NM or 5.5 km south-east from the city centre. It is a hub for Air New Zealand an ...

company announced plans to erect a ''Hollywood''-style sign ''Wellywood'' on a hillside next to the Miramar

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...

. After the airport considered a range of alternatives, it was announced in May 2011 that the ''Wellywood'' sign would be going ahead. However this was met with enormous criticism, and on 1 June 2011 it was announced that a panel would be convened to consider alternative sign options. The panel ran a binding public poll on '' The Dominion Post'' website with the 'Wellington Blown Away' design being chosen. The sign was erected 27 July 2012.

References

External links

Joint Wellington regional initiative to support Wellywood
Massey University news article
Welcome to Wellywood
Article on the premiere of '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''
Original Anti-Wellywood Facebook pageWellywood Sign GeneratorWellingtonians Against the Wellywood Sign Facebook page
created May 2011 Cinema of New Zealand New Zealand slang Wellington City {{NewZealand-media-stub

See also

References

External links