New Zealand has lost its claim as home of Middle-earth, after Amazon Studios announced the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) TV series will be shifting production to the UK.
This is a major setback to New Zealand's entertainment and tourism industry, which has for years marketed the destination as the filming location for the iconic trilogy released from 2001 to 2003.
New Zealand had also only recently pumped in more than US$100 million into the first season of the show filmed in west Auckland, and granted the studio extra 5% in subsidies earlier in April, on top of an existing 20% rebate.
The yet-to-be-named series will continue its next four seasons' production in the UK. Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has welcomed the decision, which he says will add thousands of jobs to the economy.
In the other part of the world, New Zealand Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash has expressed his disappointment, but has "no regrets" about the government support given to LOTR.
Tolkien tourism had between 2001 and 2006 resulted in a 40% hike in arrival numbers to 2.4 million, while the Hobbiton movie set brought in more than 650,000 visitors over a 12-month period after the film's 2012 launch, according to a Haute Living report.