Career Spotlight: Peter Roberts ANZSE

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After half a century in the film and television industry, Peter has worked across drama, documentary, news, sport, music, commercials, corporates, theatricals, and broadcast. Despite all of the technical and exhibition changes over the years, he observes that the art of storytelling, at its core, remains the same. As an editor, Peter is committed to delivering a director’s vision and strongly believes in both the collaborative nature of filmmaking and that empathy is crucial to the creative act.

In his late teens, not enjoying his work as a soda jerk at Harrods, a girlfriend took Peter to meet her friend Vivien Kubrick at home, where Peter expressed his desire to be a director like her dad, Stanley. Mr Kubrick was between movies and said he couldn’t offer him anything but that it was best to start from the ground up as a gofer. A hundred or so letters to companies listed in the Yellow Pages—noting the great man as a reference—eventually secured Peter a runner’s job at Soho’s Picture Palace Productions. After helping out as a 99th assistant director, location hunter, and casting assistant, Peter realised that directing (or even being on set) wasn’t for him. He gravitated to the basement cutting room and soon found an editor to take him on as an assistant.

As a London freelance assistant and assembly editor, Peter worked on documentaries for Arena, Omnibus, Chronicle, and The South Bank Show, as well as commercials, children’s television, and some short drama. During this period, he learnt his craft from working with London editors, directors and producers, including Roy Baird, Franc Roddam, Alan Parker, Piers Haggard, Molly Dineen and Alan Yentob, among many others.

Peter later married a New Zealander and left the UK. Meanwhile, he travelled across the USA, Mexico, Japan, China, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia, and Aotearoa New Zealand, supporting himself through various odd jobs — photographing for music magazines and travel articles, editing trailers in LA, instructing students in the basics of sound editing at a Mexico City film school, and teaching English behind a bar in Japan.

In Australia, he spent a year cutting for the ABC’s Four Corners, Nationwide, and National News. He also took the opportunity to learn video skills at Sydney’s Channel 7 as the current affairs film editor for their last functioning film crew.

Peter eventually settled in Auckland in December 1985, uncertain whether there was even a film industry to work in. Not even a day later, Alison MacLean rang him and asked him to cut her first television drama, Rud’s Wife (1986). By the middle of 1986, Peter had been offered work with TVNZ as it amalgamated its film and video editing departments. His task was to work across all departments and help people understand that it was perfectly possible to be both a video and a film editor. As a result, he experienced almost every department, including Māori, children’s, sports, promos, drama, news, and documentary, as a kind of piggy-in-the-middle between the two editing groups. 

In 1992, Peter co-founded Broadway Post with Bill Toepfer and VTR Ltd, becoming the first in Aotearoa to purchase the state-of-the-art Avid editing system. This marked the beginning of a prolific freelance career spanning documentary, television, and feature film. Early in his career, he collaborated extensively with director Robyn Scott-Vincent, working together on more than two dozen television documentaries.

One of his most notable early projects was Stewart Mains’ God, Sreenu and Me (2000). The documentary took an unconventional approach to storytelling, creating a fictionalised love story within the documentary. His work earned him the Best Non-Drama Editing Award at the 2002 TV Guide Television Awards.

Peter moved into feature film editing with 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous (2005), followed by projects including The Most Fun You Can Have Dying (2012), The Dark Horse (2014), and Hip Hop-eration (2014). His work on The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson, was particularly significant. After the original editor needed assistance with the large volume of footage, Peter joined the project and helped shape the film, which went on to win six Moa Awards and receive international recognition.

His career has continued across both drama and documentary, with credits including Harry (2013), Cleverman (2016), Jean (2016), Savage (2020), The Panthers (2021), Stylebender (2023), and Pike River (2025). In the late 90s, he co-founded the Auckland post-production company RPM Pictures Ltd, which operated until 2022. Across more than three decades, Peter has established himself as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s experienced and versatile film and television editors.

Peter was one of the first editors to join DEGANZ back when it was still called the Screen Directors Guild and was first extending its membership to editors. He quickly joined the board and spent a decade taking turns as an editor representative, Treasurer, and was the first editor to serve as President. Peter recommends that all New Zealand editors join the guild to gain strength in numbers.

He has also served a key role in the establishment of DEGANZ’s Aotearoa New Zealand Screen Editors (ANZSE) Accreditation, continuing his advocacy for recognising editors’ mahi on an international scale. Peter is one of three currently accredited editors and serves on the ANZSE committee.

 

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Career Spotlight: Jonno Woodford-Robinson ANZSE

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Jonno Woodford-Robinson’s career as an editor is a testament to versatility, rhythm, and a deep understanding of storytelling across genres. From blockbuster VFX spectacles to intimate indie dramas and documentaries, his work combines technical precision with a strong creative sensibility.

Born in Waihōpai Invercargill, Jonno grew up in a household where creativity was highly valued. His English father was a sculptor and art teacher, while his Irish mother taught high school English. Music became Jonno’s first creative language as he was an avid pianist and drummer, playing in his high school band and spending countless hours in the music room. This early grounding in rhythm would later shape his approach to editing, beginning with his first project at 17: a music video for his band.

After a formative summer working at a local radio station, Jonno moved to Ōtautahi Christchurch to study radio and television broadcasting, focusing on drama editing. He later relocated to Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, where he began working in post-production, editing commercials, short films, and the occasional music video.

A pivotal moment in Jonno’s career came when he met Oscar-nominated editor Michael Horton. Working alongside Horton, Jonno operated Lightworks and Avid systems, developing both his story editing and technical skills. This mentorship came full circle years later when they co-edited Lee Tamahori’s acclaimed drama, Mahana (2016). Together, they won Best Editor at the 2017 New Zealand Film Awards.

Jonno’s feature film career began with the cult classic Tongan Ninja (2002), quickly followed by a series of diverse projects. These included the psychological drama Fracture (2004), the groundbreaking Rotuman film Pear ta Ma ‘on Maf (The Land Has Eyes) (2004), and Taika Waititi’s debut Eagle vs Shark (2007), both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His work on the short film Closer (2004), which screened in competition at Cannes, demonstrated his sensitivity to character-driven storytelling, earning multiple accolades at the New Zealand Screen Awards.

Alongside his editorial work,  Jonno developed an extensive VFX skill set while working for Wētā Digital’s (now Wētā FX) motion capture department in 2005 and 2006. His proficiency with Avid Media Composer and DaVinci Resolve Fusion has enabled him to seamlessly bridge traditional editing with VFX-heavy workflows, making him a sought-after collaborator on complex productions.

Throughout his career, Jonno has contributed to a remarkable range of high-profile productions. His credits include Mortal Engines (2018), The Rehearsal (2016), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), and Pork Pie (2017). He was an additional editor on Jared Hess’s box office hit A Minecraft Movie (2025) and Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005), and part of the editorial team for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).

In television, Jonno’s work is equally distinguished. His credits span international and local productions, including Mr. Corman (2021), Cleverman (2016-2017), and One Lane Bridge (2020). Notably, he served as lead editor on the Emmy-nominated series Time Bandits (2024), a fantasy adventure that blended improvisation with complex visual effects, an ideal match for Jonno’s hybrid skill set.

Beyond narrative, Jonno has made significant contributions to documentary storytelling. He edited and associate-produced Peter Young’s The Last Ocean (2012), a powerful environmental documentary advocating for the protection of the Ross Sea. The film screened at international festivals, won multiple awards, and played a role in the establishment of the world’s largest marine protected area.

His documentary work also demonstrates a strong ability to integrate archival material with contemporary footage, notably in Dame Gaylene Preston’s mini-series on the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, Hope and Wire (2014), and Tom Scott’s tele-feature dramatisation of the protests against the 1981 Springbok tour, Rage (2011).

Most recently, Jonno edited Chelsie Preston Crayford’s debut feature, Caterpillar (2026), a drama exploring the dynamics of three generations of women facing a life-changing event, continuing his focus on character-driven storytelling.

In addition to his vast career in post-production, Jonno has been a longtime supporter of DEGANZ and is committed to helping usher in the next generation of editors. He has been a mentor to many, taking on various editor attachments over the years. He was also a key player in the establishment of the Aotearoa New Zealand Screen Editors (ANZSE) Accreditation. He is currently serving on the ANZSE committee, helping to evaluate the next round of Accreditations.

Based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Jonno lives with his wife Rieko, an artist, surrounded by inquisitive wild birds and a wide selection of teas.

 

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