11th May 2026
A huge congratulations to leading New Zealand film and television producer Chloe Smith, who has been named in the King’s Birthday Honours 2026 List as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the screen industry.
It is a richly deserved recognition for one of Aotearoa’s most experienced and respected screen production figures. Across a 43-year career, Chloe Smith has helped shape the practical, creative and professional backbone of New Zealand film and television.
Chloe’s work sits inside some of the biggest screen stories connected to this country. Her credits include Academy Award winning films The Piano and The Power of the Dog.
For anyone who works in production, those titles say plenty. They speak to scale, craft, logistics, trust and the quiet ability to keep a creative vision moving through all the very real things that happen between a script, a schedule, a set and a finished screen work.
Chloe’s NZ On Screen profile describes her as a producer and production manager whose long professional relationship with American producer Rob Tapert saw her become an essential part of productions including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and Spartacus. These were not just popular international series. They helped prove New Zealand could deliver world-class screen work at international scale.
Her IMDb profile shows a body of work across feature films, television series, production management and producing roles. Her Screen NZ International profile notes that she began working in the New Zealand screen production industry in 1983 and has worked across practical roles from production secretary through to producer.
Chloe has also played an important role in local storytelling. Her credits include Sione’s Wedding, one of New Zealand’s most loved comedy features, and Dark City: The Cleaner, a recent television production that reflects her continued commitment to homegrown screen work. Additional production context for Dark City: The Cleaner also shows the continuing strength of New Zealand screen collaboration across casting, production and performance.
That commitment to local talent is exactly the kind of thing Collaborate Management loves to celebrate. Our creative sector works best when experienced producers, performers, crew, writers, directors and industry organisations keep backing each other. It is a whānau, in the truest working sense of the word.
Chloe’s contribution also reaches beyond individual screen credits. She helped establish the New Zealand Cinematographer’s Society Gender Diversity Programme, which has placed women in paid crew roles on professional productions and helped create practical pathways into the industry. Women In Film and Television New Zealand (WIFTNZ) has also noted Chloe’s involvement in New Zealand Cinematographers Society committee work, including alongside other WIFTNZ members elected to the NZCS Committee.
Chloe has been part of key industry organisations including the Screen Production and Development Association New Zealand and Women in Film and Television New Zealand. Both organisations play an important role in strengthening the screen sector, supporting professional networks and advocating for a healthier, more sustainable industry.
Her wider industry contribution includes work on The Blue Book, the standard guidelines for screen production crews and allied crafts in New Zealand. The guidelines are connected with industry collaboration between the Screen Industry Guild and SPADA, with further information also available through SPADA’s Industry Codes and Guidelines and the Screen Industry Guild’s Blue Book PDF.
Chloe was previously recognised with the Women in Film and Television New Zealand Award for Outstanding Contribution to the New Zealand Screen Industry in 2006. References to the WIFTNZ Awards and Chloe’s recognition can be found through the WIFTNZ 2024 Awards finalists press release, the WIFTNZ Awards listing, and Chloe’s NZ On Screen awards page.
From all of us at Collaborate, congratulations Chloe. This is a wonderful recognition of a remarkable career, and of the behind-the-scenes leadership that helps New Zealand performers, creatives and screen professionals stand confidently on the world stage.
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© 2026 Collaborate NZ
