Campbell Live reporter Natasha Utting said yesterday the programme should air early next week. The film crew was in Mataura on Wednesday and Thursday.
Not only did journalists talk to residents during their two-day stay in the town, they also talked to Dr Phillips in an effort to find out what his vision for the town was.
The programme will also delve into the reasons why so many commercial buildings in the town are empty.
‘‘Some say he [Dr Phillips] charged too much rent,'' Ms Utting said.
‘‘We will try to really understand why he's here and why he owns so much of the town,'' she said.
Dr Phillips told The Ensign yesterday he would ‘‘give a good spin for Mataura'' when he was interviewed.
Mataura Community Market co-ordinator Meg Appleby said yesterday that Dr Phillips had been involved with property in the town for ‘‘a long time'' but there had not been a lot of progress made on the buildings.
She believed Dr Phillips should consult the community for ideas for the development of the town and the buildings he owned. The Mataura RSA and Mataura Taskforce were among suggested organisations that Dr Phillips could consult with, she said.
‘‘You can't make an Arrowtown out of Mataura,'' Mrs Appleby said.
‘‘His [Dr Phillips] vision for the town doesn't fit in with the character of the town,'' she said.
She believed Dr Phillips ‘‘actively discouraged'' people from setting up businesses in the buildings he owned because of the perceived high rents.
Dr Phillips did not want to comment further.
