Auckland Council has sold its renowned Auckland Film Studios (AFS) to Auckland Film Studios Limited, part of the Xytech Group.
AFS has been owned by Auckland Council and operated by CCO Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU) since 2017. The facility underwent a $35 million expansion in 2022 with $30 million funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group (IRG) fund, managed by National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF, formerly operating as Crown Infrastructure Partners).
Council says the Government’s 2025 updates to New Zealand’s International Screen Production Rebate settings – to increase international competitiveness and enable more productions to qualify for rebates – increased industry confidence about the pipeline of incoming productions and helped create a stronger case for buyers to invest in AFS.
“This is a win for our region’s outstanding screen production industry. Paired with Auckland’s stunning scenery it will increase the appeal of Auckland to a global screen industry,” said Mayor, Wayne Brown.
“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.”
AFS has been the base for many iconic New Zealand and international high-profile productions from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess through to 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.
Council Chief Executive, Phil Wilson said he was delighted to secure a long-term future for AFS.
“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,” says Mr Wilson.
Xytech, founded by chief executive Stephen Pryor (pictured, right) in 1997, is the owner operator of X3 Studios – a 24,000 sqm studio and production facility based in Wiri, South Auckland. The studio opened in 2020 and has already hosted large scale productions including the breakout Netflix success and Emmy award winning Sweet Tooth (all 3 Seasons), and the fifth installment of the much-lauded 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,” says Mr 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.
While the sales price remains confidential, Council confirmed that – as a result of the agreement that supported the opening of two new sound stages at AFS in 2022 – the New Zealand Government’s $30 million contribution towards those stages will come back to the Council to be held in a fund and be reinvested in further new Auckland screen infrastructure.
The AFS sale agreement guarantees the site will remain a studio and the cornerstone of west Auckland’s screen heartland for at least the next 10 years, Council said in a statement. 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, it stated.
The settlement date for the sale is 27 February 2026.
