Mystery huts near Lyttelton for Waititi-linked film

When the wooden huts first appeared on a rugged stretch of Canterbury coastline, locals were intrigued.

They got their binoculars out and peered at the row of small white huts being built close to the water in Lyttelton Harbour outside Christchurch.

Some logged on to the local Facebook page to speculate. Was it for a sailing event? A new subdivision? A spy base?

The answer was no less intriguing. The huts were built as a location for a new movie by the production company behind Taika Waititi’s hit films Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Jojo Rabbit.

The film, which is as yet untitled, stars Erana James of The Wilds and The Changeover, Nathalie Morris from Bump, and Rima Te Wiata of Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

It is being filmed in various locations around Lyttelton Harbour over the next month and will feature O¯ tamahua/Quail Island.

The story follows the friendship of three misfit teens trapped on a tiny island at a school whose mission is to ‘‘transform delinquents from barbarism to domestication’’.

The film’s director, Josephine StewartTe Whiu, said it was her ‘‘teenage dream’’ to bring the characters to life on screen.

‘‘The strength and friendship in these young women is funny and inspiring,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s a privilege to be working with such an incredible cast and crew in Christchurch.’’

The script was written by cartoonist and writer Maddie Dai, whose work has featured in The New Yorker, with additional writing from Stewart-Te Whiu.

The film is partly funded by The New Zealand Film Commission, the Government’s Screen Production Grant, and Christchurch’s film unit – Screen CanterburyNZ. It is being produced by Piki Films, which is behind Kiwi hits like The Breaker Upperers and Baby Done.

In May, Screen CanterburyNZ manager Petrina D’Rozario said the production had been granted $100,000 from the fund and expected to shoot in Canterbury for about 28 days with a crew of about 48 people.

Screen CanterburyNZ funding was given to projects that planned the most shoot days in the region and planned to hire the highest number of local crew members.