New Zealand film and television industry giant John Barnett has died, the Screen Production and Development Association announced earlier this week.
Barnett began his career in the 1970s, and ran the country’s largest production company, South Pacific Pictures, from 1992 to 2015.
He was a producer or executive producer on four of the country’s 10 top grossing films: Footrot Flats, Whale Rider, Sione’s Wedding, and Once Were Warriors sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
He was also responsible for a host of New Zealand television classics, including Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune.
His most recent company was Endeavour Ventures, which develops feature films and international TV series.
Barnett was a proud member of New Zealand’s Jewish community, and was a longtime board member and a past president of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. [Read his speech at the Greys Ave commemorative service in 2023 HERE.]
He was a longtime and active advocate for the film and television industry, as well as a mentor and supporter for a wide range of people and organisations, in the film and television industry and other areas.
Much of what Barnett did in this space was done under the radar, but some examples include music label Dawn Raid; Attitude, a television production company that specialises in telling the stories of people with disabilities; and Jewish Lives.
———————————-
Here’s a selection of tributes to Barnett published over the last week:
Radio NZ: Legendary New Zealand film and television producer John Barnett has died
NBR (paywalled): John Barnett, 1945-2025: A man of great vision
C21 Media: New Zealand industry pays tribute to influential screen pioneer John Barnett
NZ Herald: Remembering NZ film and TV producer John Barnett: Former colleagues reflect on producer’s lasting legacy and From Whale Rider to Shortland St: John Barnett’s most successful productions
The SpinOff: Remembering John Barnett, a colossus of New Zealand culture
Newstalk ZB: Taking in the impact of John Barnett’s death and Newstalk ZB senior political corrospondent pays tribute to John Barnett
