Ron Highfield

Ron Highfield designed a run of pioneering Kiwi dramas for both television and the big screen. After landmark 1970s productions Pukemanu and The God Boy, he left state television in time to contribute to the renaissance of New Zealand feature films — including designing ambitious "Māori Western" Utu, and beloved 1950s-era comedy Came a Hot Friday. In 1992 Highfield won an NZ Film Award for coming-of-age movie The End of the Golden Weather. He was nominated again for WWll drama The Last Tattoo. Highfield also worked on a trio of Lawless TV movies, and Australian hit Young Einstein. He passed away on 10 October 2022.

It was alright for the first few days I think...first week maybe. And then the novelty wore off, and they just didn't care. If they wanted to drive through shot they just drove through shot. A person with a lollipop [traffic sign] wouldn't stop them. Ron Highfield on the challenges of shooting 1979 movie Skin Deep in small-town Raetihi, in documentary Cowboys of Culture