Wellington. Award-winning Hollywood director Peter Jackson and his partner have bought land on the New Zealand coast to protect nature, they said Friday, in an attempt to block a controversial urban plan.
The lands, located at Shelley Bay in the capital Wellington, were part of a military base and were targeted by real estate developers who wanted to build 350 apartments, a hotel and a brewery.
The project, at a cost of $298 million, divided the area’s residents and mobilized a two-year occupation by indigenous Maori people to block the project.
After years of legal battles, Wellington native Jackson and his screenwriter and producer Fran Walsh bought the land.
“This is a wonderful coastal area of great cultural and historical significance,” Jackson and Walsh said in a joint statement.
Longer term, the couple said they plan to look for ways to use the land “for both art and entertainment.”
The sale price has not been disclosed.
Jackson is an award-winning filmmaker who has won several Oscars and directed hit productions such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.”
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