Director of 1990s fare like Young Guns II and second unit director on the first three Lord of the Rings films.
He worked as a schoolteacher before turning to film.
He was a founding member of the famous musical and theatrical co-operative Blerta, often thought of as a hippy collective.
He was married to filmmaker Merata Mita until her death in May 2010. They had a son named Paul together.
He worked closely with Peter Jackson during the production of the initial Lord of the Rings trilogy.