An opportunity to sharpen her producing expertise is one Ōpōtiki film-maker Kim Webby has embraced after being selected as one of five recipients of the 2026 Regional Producer Accelerator programme.

The initiative, led by Film Bay of Plenty, is designed to strengthen the region’s screen sector by supporting emerging and mid-career producers with mentoring, workshops and access to industry experts.

Webby brings more than 30 years of experience in film, television and journalism to the programme.

Her documentaries and long-form series have screened on New Zealand television channels as well as internationally on BBC4 in the United Kingdom, Al Jazeera, PBS and several streaming platforms.

Speaking recently from Melbourne, where she was pitching a documentary at the Australian International Documentary Conference and part of a New Zealand Film Commission delegation to the Australian International Documentary Conference, Webby said she had already attended the first workshop in the programme.

Held in Auckland, the session was led by respected producer Matthew Metcalfe, ONZM, who will mentor the participants throughout the year-long initiative.

“Matthew, who’s an incredibly experienced and successful producer, has taken on a mentorship role, so we’ll have access to him and others for about a year,” Webby said.

“The first workshop was all of us coming together. Matthew talked about his road to producing, the struggles along the way, and what he learned by just being incredibly dedicated. In many ways he’s forged his own path.”

Metcalfe, whose career spans feature films, documentaries and television, will work closely with participants alongside a wider circle of senior industry advisers, including financiers, lawyers, distributors and festival programmers.

The initial workshop also included practical sessions with professionals working across the industry, including a media lawyer, media insurance specialists and distributors, she said.

Although Webby has worked as both a producer and director for many years, she sees the programme as an opportunity to deepen her producing knowledge and expand her skillset.

“Like many of the other producers, I’ve been producing for quite a long time,” she said.

“But for me, it’s largely been self-taught. If I wanted to get a project made that I wanted to direct, I often had to produce it myself to secure the funding.”

The programme provides a chance to step back and refine that process.

“To learn if there are other ways I could approach producing. It’s about expanding my knowledge.”

The role of a producer is complex, she said, encompassing everything from financing and contracts to creative collaboration.

“Simply put, a producer’s job is to get the money, manage the budget, read and negotiate contracts with funders, broadcasters and platforms, and hire the crew – editors, camera operators and everyone needed to make the project run.”

Producers also play an important creative role, working closely with directors during the editing process.

Webby said she was grateful to Film Bay of Plenty and its director Jade Kent for establishing the programme.

“It’s going to progress my producing and help me be more successful at it,” she said.

Just as important was the camaraderie and fellowship with the other four women on the programme, she said.

Despite her involvement in the international screen industry, Webby remains firmly based in Ōpōtiki.

“I love living where I live. It’s a quiet coastal place,” she said.

Her schedule, however, is far from quiet. Webby is producing and co-directing the cinematic feature Unlikely Kin with Mike Jonathan, alongside its companion docu-series Whales, Rats & Kauri, which is in the final stages of post-production.

She is also executive producer of the feature documentary Taiarahia: He Kakahu Tawhito, due for release alongside a companion RNZ digital docu-series.

Another project in development is the docu-drama Wandering Ghost, set in the West Coast goldfields of the 1800s and in present-day New Zealand.

Webby’s storytelling roots began in journalism at the Beacon before moving to Auckland, where she worked in radio and later as a reporter in TVNZ’s news and current affairs division.

“When I got to TVNZ they had a documentary department and I thought, ‘That’s where I want to go’,” she said.

Although that department closed, Webby pursued documentary storytelling as a freelancer – a path that launched her career in long-form film and television. Her work continues to focus on stories that matter.

“I’m really interested in social justice issues – the environment, Māori stories and history,” she said.

“But these days you’ve got to put a bit of a modern face on it as well.”