In early April 2026, Auckland’s film‑and‑television community is buzzing with a deal that feels like equal parts business milestone and cultural statement: Jason Momoa, Taika Waititi, and Cliff Curtis have acquired Studio West, the long‑standing West Auckland film facility in Glen Eden, through their joint venture, Āriki Group. The acquisition marks one of the most high‑profile consolidations of creative talent and production infrastructure in Aotearoa’s history, with the three internationally‑known actors and directors moving beyond box‑office celebrity to become direct owners of a major screen‑production site. The deal is framed as a signal that the future of New Zealand screen is not just about location‑dressing and scenic backdrops, but about creative control, indigenous‑led storytelling, and the hard assets that underpin global‑scale production.
Studio West: A Cornerstone of Auckland’s Film Landscape
Studio West has been a quiet pillar of the New Zealand screen industry since the late‑1990s. Located in Glen Eden, northwest of central Auckland, the facility began as a small, locally‑owned production hub and gradually grew into one of the country’s most trusted home‑bases for both domestic and international projects. Over the years, the studio has hosted everything from local TV dramas and documentaries to major feature films that have taken advantage of Auckland’s proximity to diverse landscapes and relatively low‑cost operating structure.
The physical infrastructure of Studio West already reflects its ambition. The site includes multiple purpose‑built sound stages, ranging from roughly 3,000 to 7,500 square feet, along with mill space for set construction, office facilities, and support services that allow large productions to operate semi‑autonomously for weeks at a time. A recent redevelopment added a larger sound stage—New Zealand’s largest purpose‑built studio space at the time—which enabled the facility to host higher‑end, large‑budget productions that would have previously bypassed Auckland in favour of larger offshore hubs.
The previous owners, Kay and Glenn Howe of Enki Enterprises, built Studio West from a boutique operation into a serious piece of national infrastructure, weathering ups and downs in the screen‑industry cycle and the disruptions of the Covid‑19 period. Their decision to expand the site even during the pandemic era underscores how much they believed in the long‑term value of the asset. The Howes have publicly stated that they are excited to be passing the studio on to Āriki Group, trusting that the new owners will bring more international projects to Aotearoa and continue to invest in the growth of the local industry.
The Āriki Group Takeover
The 2026 acquisition is structured through Āriki Group Ltd, a company owned by Jason Momoa, Taika Waititi, and Cliff Curtis. The deal, announced on April 1, 2026, transfers full ownership of Studio West from Enki Enterprises to Āriki, marking a rare example of top‑tier international talent buying into local production infrastructure rather than simply renting it for a single project. The new owners are positioning the move as a long‑term investment in both the physical site and the broader ecosystem it supports.
Āriki Group’s public statements emphasise that the acquisition is about more than just real estate and sound stages. It is about shifting power in the screen‑industry supply chain. By controlling the land, the stages, and the back‑of‑house operations, the group gains leverage over how and where stories are made, and by whom. In practical terms, this means that Waititi, Momoa, and Curtis are not merely creative directors or faces on posters; they are now the owners of the very studios in which many of those projects are filmed.
The transaction is also being framed as a milestone for Indigenous and Pacific‑led leadership in global screen production. All three principals bring strong Māori and Polynesian ties to the table, and they have made clear that one of their goals is to use Studio West as a base for amplifying indigenous‑led and Pacific‑centred storytelling. The studio’s new era is explicitly linked to the idea that Aotearoa should be a hub where local voices sit at the centre of globally‑distributed narratives, rather than serving as a backdrop for external‑authored stories.
What the Acquisition Means for Auckland’s Screen Sector
The purchase of Studio West is already being described as “hugely positive” for the New Zealand screen industry, and the implications are multifaceted.
For Auckland, the most immediate effect is the cementing of the city’s status as a serious production destination. The region has long competed with other locations—such as the central North Island film‑tourism belt and the South Island’s mountain‑and‑snowscapes—for big‑budget projects, and Studio West provides a critical piece of infrastructure that can attract productions that require expansive, climate‑controlled studio space rather than relying solely on location‑shooting. The fact that the new owners are high‑profile names with strong ties to the global industry increases the likelihood that international projects will be actively steered toward Auckland, potentially bypassing other offshore hubs that have traditionally dominated the Pacific‑production map.
For the wider industry, the deal also signals a move toward the kind of vertical integration that has become more common in other parts of the world. In the US and elsewhere, studios and streaming platforms have begun to buy or lease their own production facilities, giving them greater control over scheduling, costs, and creative‑environment decisions. The Āriki Group‑led acquisition of Studio West reflects a similar trend at the local level: instead of simply licensing their talent to major studios, Waititi, Momoa, and Curtis are now also owning and operating the physical sites where that talent is deployed.
The studio’s existing expansion plans fit neatly into the new‑owners’ vision. The Howes had already announced plans for a fifth stage, a massive 25,800‑square‑foot sound stage that would rank among the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The Āriki Group has signalled that it intends to complete that build in the coming years, which would enable Studio West to host even larger productions, including high‑end TV series, studio‑heavy film shoots, and digitally‑driven projects that rely on extensive green‑screen and volume‑stage setups.
Amplifying Pacific and Indigenous Voices
One of the most politically and culturally significant aspects of the Studio West acquisition is its explicit focus on Indigenous and Pacific‑led storytelling. The new owners have described the purchase as a way to strengthen Aotearoa’s position as a “culturally grounded, globally connected” screen hub, where local narratives are not sidelined in favour of international‑market‑driven plots.
For Waititi, whose work has repeatedly centred Māori and indigenous perspectives, the move aligns with a long‑running theme in his career: using global‑scale platforms to amplify local stories. The fact that he now has a direct stake in a major studio property gives him not only creative influence but also operational control, allowing him to shape the types of projects that are prioritised and the conditions under which local filmmakers and crews are hired.
For Momoa, whose career has been built on blockbusters but who has also invested heavily in Indigenous and Polynesian‑centred storytelling, the acquisition is a concrete step toward making New Zealand a base for such projects. He has been actively involved in bringing large‑scale international productions to Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) in recent years, and the new ownership gives him a physical home base for many of those ventures. For Curtis, whose career spans both local‑growing‑up roles and Hollywood‑level international work, the move represents a return to roots and a commitment to building a domestic industry that can sustain top‑tier talent without forcing them to relocate overseas.
The promise of the new Studio West is that the studio’s programming slate will reflect a more diverse mix of voices than the typical imported‑franchise‑heavy roster. The emphasis on Polynesian‑led storytelling, Māori‑centred narratives, and Indigenous‑produced content is likely to attract a new cohort of directors, writers, and crew members who have historically struggled to break into high‑budget, globally‑distributed productions. By creating a dedicated space for such work, the studio could become a nucleus for a new wave of Kiwi‑produced stories that circulate internationally rather than being filtered through distant‑market‑dictated agendas.
Economic and Community Impact
The economic implications of the acquisition are also significant. The deal is expected to lead to direct job creation at Studio West itself, as the new owners ramp up operations, hire additional technical and support staff, and invest in maintenance and upgrades. Beyond the site, the wider Auckland economy stands to benefit from the multiplier effect of large‑scale productions setting up shop in the region: local catering, transport, accommodation, and equipment‑hire businesses all see increased demand when big productions move in.
For West Auckland, in particular, the acquisition represents a rare vote of confidence in the region’s role within the broader city‑economy narrative. Glen Eden and the surrounding suburbs have not always been at the centre of Auckland’s economic‑or‑cultural‑imagination, but the presence of a high‑profile, internationally‑owned studio complex could shift that perception. The studio’s expansion and the activities it draws to the area may help reposition West Auckland as a hub not just for residential living but for creative‑industry work and high‑value‑service roles.
The Āriki‑led ownership also has the potential to reshape the way local talent engages with the global industry. With Waititi, Momoa, and Curtis in control, there is a real possibility that more local filmmakers and crew members will have access to mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and international‑level production environments without having to leave the country. The studio’s new leadership has the ability to broker relationships with international networks while still insisting on a Māori or Pacific‑centred voice at the core of those exchanges.
A New Chapter for Studio West
The 2026 acquisition of Studio West by Āriki Group marks a turning point in the facility’s lifecycle. What began as a modest, locally‑operated production hub is now a major asset in the hands of globally‑recognised talent, positioned to play a central role in the next phase of New Zealand’s screen‑industry development. The studio’s new owners have pledged to honour the legacy of the Howes while also steering the site toward a more ambitious, culturally grounded future—one that emphasises Indigenous leadership, global‑level production, and the idea that New Zealand can be a place where the world’s stories are not only filmed, but also shaped by the voices of the region itself.
For fans of Waititi, Momoa, and Curtis, the move offers something richer than just another blockbuster partnership. It is a signal that these actors and directors are investing not only in the projects they make, but in the infrastructure and ecosystems that produce them. For Auckland, it is a reminder that the city’s creative industries are no longer peripheral to the global‑screen‑market; they are now being led by some of the most recognisable names in the business, on home‑grown ground. Whether that translates into a new generation of Aotearoa‑centred films, TV series, and digital productions—or simply a more powerful voice in the global‑screen‑conversation—Studio West’s 2026 chapter is likely to be the most consequential one in its nearly‑three‑decade history.
Nirti Singh is a news writer and digital content contributor at KorakoSpecklePark, covering key stories and regional developments across New Zealand and Australia. Her work focuses on clear, fact-based reporting, ensuring readers receive accurate and timely information.