Before the Covid-19 lockdown, a film crew linked to NHK spent seven weeks filming on the peninsula for the documentary, The Return of New Zealand Sea Lions.
This film investigates the return to the peninsula of the endemic sea lions after they were wiped out as a mainland species in the 19th century.
The Japanese-language show will screen on NHK’s BS Premium channel at 8pm on Monday, May 15 and is expected to be viewed by at least a million people.
"It will be amazing, the sort of exposure that money can’t buy" for Dunedin as New Zealand’s wildlife capital, Otago Peninsula Trust marketing manager Sophie Barker said.
"It’s great exposure for conservation and education.
"In the future people will come to Dunedin for this very reason when they’re able to travel again," she said.
"It’s massive exposure for the great things that are happening in Dunedin," the Dunedin City Council’s Film Dunedin co-ordinator Antony Deaker said yesterday.
"NHK is huge," he said, adding that the television crew had filmed not only sea lions and albatrosses, but also the Octagon and St Clair Beach.
Dunedin was benefiting from the presence of city-based, Japanese-born Izumi Uchida, who had a key role being television co-ordinator for the crew and arranging to obtain many permits, including from the DCC and Doc, for filming. Ms Uchida attracted overseas film crews to the city, particularly from NHK, Mr Deaker said.
