Film Industry Loses Behind-the-Scenes Star

Hundreds of mourners attended a tangi for NZ special effects expert Conway Wickliffe in Te Kuiti on October 14. Wickliffe, 41, was killed in England three weeks ago, during a stunt car rehearsal on the set of the latest Batman film. More than 300 mourners, including Batman star Christian Bale, attended his wake in London. Wickliffe made machines and vehicles for blockbuster films including Casino Royale, Black Hawk Down, Children of Men and the Tomb Raider series. “This is an extreme loss to New Zealand film, and Maori film-making too,” said Mihirawhiti Searancke, a relative of Wickliffe’s wife, Derryn Chase. “He was a Maori boy from Paeroa, who conquered the world doing what he did so well.” Wickliffe is survived by his wife, Derryn, and their children Sabian, 12, and Eden, 4.

Conway Wickliffe: died September 24 2007