Auckland Council has sold its renowned Auckland Film Studios in what's been described by the Mayor as "a win" for the region's screen production industry.
Auckland Film Studios has been the base for many New Zealand and international productions including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Lord of the Rings - The Rings of Power, A Minecraft Movie, The Wrecking Crew, Predator – Badlands, and most recently Brad Pitt's Heart of the Beast.
The company was being sold to Auckland Film Studios Limited — part of the Xytech Group — for a undisclosed price.
The council confirmed the sale would also protect the New Zealand Government's $30 million contribution towards two new sound stages, which would will come back to the council to be held in a fund and reinvested in further new Auckland screen infrastructure.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said the sale was "a win for our region’s outstanding screen production industry".
"I’ve some experience here developing movie theatres and film studios, I know the industry and this is a good move that also delivers for ratepayers. We’ll be handing this over to a seasoned operator, and that’s where it should be.”
Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson said he was "delighted to seal the deal on a long-term future for Auckland Film Studios".
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"Our task was to secure the sale of Auckland Film Studios and, through a robust process, we've delivered for our important screen industry in West Auckland," said Wilson.
Xytech, founded by chief executive Stephen Pryor in 1997, is the owner operator of X3 Studios – a 24,000sq metre studio and production facility based in Wiri, South Auckland.
The studio opened in 2020 and has since hosted large scale productions including all three seasons of breakout Netflix success and Emmy award-winning Sweet Tooth, and the fifth instalment of the Spartacus series for Lionsgate/ Starz Entertainment.
"My earliest connection to Auckland Film Studios goes back to 1992 and in the years since then Xytech has been a major supplier to almost all of the projects that have filmed at AFS," said Pryor.
"I’m excited by the opportunities that acquiring the studios gives us to continue growing AFS and the screen sector for decades to come.”
Xytech is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest lighting supplier to film and high-end television and has supported the industry’s growth through strategic property and technology investments over the last three decades.
The Auckland Film Studios sale agreement guaranteed the site would remain a studio and the cornerstone of west Auckland's screen heartland for at least the next 10 years.
"This aligns with the expectations of the wider council group, Auckland’s elected members, iwi and key members of the screen sector who were engaged as part of the decision-making process," Wilson said.
The settlement date for the sale would be February 27, 2026.
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