LOS ANGELESâ€"The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Radio New Zealand has won a crucial ruling in their request for documents touching on the New Zealand government’s 2010 negotiations with Peter Jackson and Warner Brothers over changes to the country’s labor laws. Jonathan Handel, an avid chronicler of Hollywood labor news, reports in the Hollywood Reporter that New Zealand’s ombudsman last month recommended that the government make public the documents, which include exchanges with the Jackson and Warner camps. Warner and Mr. Jackson, who sought the labor law adjustment as they were deciding whether or not to film the Hobbit movies in New Zealand, have objected to the disclosure, Mr. Handel wrote in a Thursday morning post. But, in light of the ombudsman’s recommendation, the documents will go public on or about March 1, unless New Zealand’s governor-general blocks the releae.
