Film director Sir Peter Jackson has lashed out at the Wellington City Council over a potential development on the Miramar Peninsula.
The Shelly Bay development would include 350 new homes, shops, bars, cafes and parks.
It’s a venture between local iwi and developer the Wellington Company.
Last week, Wellington’s mayor, Justin Lester, emailed Sir Peter inviting him to a meeting to discuss the development.
Six days later, Sir Peter replied, looping in all councillors, criticising the project.
"Fran and I are not, and never will be, interested in associating with a team who seem determined to turn Shelly Bay into something that has been described as "Sausalito" - but which, in reality, will invoke blocks of Soviet-era apartments dumped on Wellington's picturesque peninsula."
He acknowledged something needed to be done about the site, but disagreed with the proposal.
"The peninsula is a precious green space - there is no place for a foreign-funded monstrosity, designed to line the pockets of a developer, that will end up costing the rate payers of Wellington well over a hundred million dollars.
"In short this development does nothing to benefit the people of Wellington or the local community, and we want no part of it," he wrote.
The director of the Wellington Company, Ian Cassels, says that statement is "about 100% wrong".
"Foreign funded? No. I don’t know where that comes from. That’s a bit of fake news from years ago, which is preposterous. We don’t have any sign or need for foreign funding. Monstrosity?
"The pictures are really beautiful, I don’t think anybody that looks at them properly has a hope of being able to make that stick."
Mr Cassels said the project had larger objectives than money and was about social responsibility.
The council said it was ultimately up to the iwi to choose who it wanted to work with and its only role in the process was in granting resource consent.
Mayor Lester was diplomatic in his response to Sir Peter's criticisms.
"This is a means of having a say and putting a stake in the ground and saying this is the outcome we want to achieve, but let’s be real here - no one individual owns the peninsula."
Sir Peter had once hoped to use the area for his movie museum, but that idea was dismissed. He says he has no plans or desire to build anything on Shelly Bay.
But despite the criticism, the council and the developer want to maintain a constructive relationship with the movie mogul.
"Sometimes people get things wrong," said Mr Cassels. "I think he’s honestly got this totally wrong and I would like an opportunity to talk to him about it."
The project will soon go back to the council for resource consent and will be considered by three independent commissioners.
An earlier version of this story contained outdated images. These have been updated
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