An updated chronology of the official press releases issued by the parties involved in The Hobbit dispute, as well as various onlookers. Once the dust is settled, there’ll be an Onfilm post mortem of this sorry episode, its conclusion and the implications thereof. If you note any relevant press releases regarding the imbroglio that are missing, then please drop me a line via nick@onfilm.co.nz, as I’d like to ensure this collection is not merely exhausting but exhaustive too. – Editor

“It was the first time a meeting was ever requested and it was clear from the letter, they had already voted to blacklist us, before even asking for one conversation with me. I am sick and tired of hearing Equity say ‘All we ever wanted was a meeting,’ because it’s disingenuous – they fail to add that from the outset, they had a gun to our head.”

Seeking a meeting with an employer to discuss employees’ contracts is a fair and reasonable request. This is all that was asked on the producers of The Hobbit. Their refusal to do so was unfortunate but Equity thanks all NZ members for staying strong and campaigning for the same types of terms and conditions enjoyed by performers around the world.

Helen Kelly, CTU President, said today that the industrial issues concerning the film industry were resolved at a meeting with SPADA last week.
“This established a path that guaranteed films commencing before 31st March next year would use the existing Pink Book and in that period a revised Pink Book would be agreed for subsequent films.”

Recent reports that the boycott of The Hobbit was lifted by unions a number of days ago and that Warner Bros asked to delay this announcement are false.
It was not until last night that we received confirmation of the retractions from SAG, NZ Equity and AFTRA through press reports. We are still awaiting retractions from the other guilds.

“These films can be made here”, said the Council of Trade Unions’ Helen Kelly. “Following a meeting last week, which included Hon Gerry Brownlee, good progress is being made on developing an industry standard through improving the content and form of the current ‘Pink Book’.
“NZ Performers want the movie made here as much as anyone, but let’s get all the facts on the table about taxes, subsidies, and other issues – rather than just blaming the union for asking to meet on basic terms and conditions.”