Having two more episodes than season one - up from four to six - the budget had also gone up from about $15 million to $20m-plus, Screentime chief executive Philly de Lacey, who conceived the show, said.
About 150 people would work on the next series, she confirmed.
"It’s great to be able to have a massive injection of cash spread through lots of different sectors in the town - through construction, health and safety, art department, accommodation, hospitality."
Having had about two-thirds of cast and crew come from out of town for last year’s shoot, it was "definitely hiring a lot more locals" for season two, she said.
Season two, and its extra length, was confirmed following the first series’ excellent reception in New Zealand and via broadcasting funding partners Channel Nine, in Australia, Acorn, in the United States, and ZDF, in Germany, including video-on-demand (VOD) in those territories.
Ms De Lacey was in no doubt the show’s success stemmed from the appeal of both Queenstown’s scenery and the storytelling.
"I think Queenstown’s scenery is paramount - I think if you’re watching this in Germany in the middle of winter and you’re seeing these beautiful blue skies and golden mountains, it’s gorgeous.
"And I just think finding that balance of a good murder mystery to invest in, but a sense of humour that doesn’t take you to places where you can’t escape from when you go to bed at night."
Ms De Lacey said Queenstown was once again "an integral character", and that was what made it "so much fun".
"It’s fun in each episode to lean into the different worlds of Queenstown and go, ‘OK, we haven’t done something in this environment, so let’s tap into that cultural psyche or outdoor space or kind of world’.
"And that’s where having the episodic story allows you a lot of licence to have quite a lot of fun in a lot of different places."
For Ms De Lacey - whose company now leases Remarkables Park’s former H&J Smith’s department store as a fulltime production studio - this second series is also a personal triumph.
"I’m absolutely over the moon.
"It’s wonderful to come up with a concept and see it realised and see people enjoy it in the way you hoped. I feel really proud of it and thrilled that lots of locals have enjoyed being part of it and watching it."
