Sir Peter Jackson, a man of many talents, has put New Zealand on the map again. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has made the NZ film industry bigger and better than ever, revolutionising cinema by filming with double the usual number of frames (48). The attention of cinema aficionados across the world was fixed on Middle Earth on Wednesday. Wellington put on quite a show with around 100,000 fans turning up at the world premiere.

I was privileged to be one of the 50 journalists worldwide given a media pass for some exclusive events, including viewing the Air New Zealand wrapped plane, a private screening of The Hobbit at Park Road Post, entry to the world press conference at Te Papa, and of course, interviews with the cast on the 600-metre long 3.5-tonne red carpet.

The world premiere, along with the film, showcases New Zealand to the world. The trilogy of movies market New Zealand’s beautiful landscape and should give the tourism industry a boost just like the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Prime Minister John Key campaigned two years ago to have these movies made in New Zealand.  More than 3,000 locals worked on the films, but as Mr Key said in his speech at the premiere, the film was also a catalyst for many other businesses in New Zealand: 6,700 domestic flights were taken; 93,000 hotel rooms filled; and 1,800 rental cars used.

All the cast members I spoke to, including Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Elijah Wood (Frodo), and Barry Humphries (the Goblin King), had wonderful things to say about New Zealand and the people who live here. Sir Peter Jackson, who has taken a lot of negative hits from the media and the unions, remains very humble and passionate, and says he was glad to have had the premiere in Wellington.

“We’re in our hometown. It means a lot because this is the city that these movies were made in. Thousands of people helped us by working on these films, and now many thousands more have come to celebrate so it’s a really humbling feeling.”

Sir Peter shows that Kiwis who strive for excellence can achieve great things. We would like to see more success stories, not just on the big screen but also in education, engineering, IT or manufacturing. Sir Peter's passion is an inspiration to us all.

I signed an embargo that I would not do any reviews of the movie until its official release. But what I can say is whether or not you agree with the government subsidies for this project, Sir Peter Jackson has raised the bar to a whole new level, advancing cinema as we know it.