The 2009 U.S. International Film and Video Festival awarded two “Gold Camera” trophies to Omnicron Productions of Auckland.

“Gold Cameras” are awarded to international first place getters in their categories.

The 42nd annual awards in Los Angeles attracted over 1200 entries from 22 countries.

Omnicron’s awards were for   “Silver Bay,” which features Queenstown as a holiday destination and “Stoneleigh; stonegrown,” which  tells the vintage story of New Zealand wine company, Stoneleigh wines .

Ondrej Havas, founder and CEO of Omnicron, a company he established in 1980 as a teenager, said his studio has enjoyed consistent recognition in the USA.

The company now holds a total of over 50 awards for its commercial productions and TV documentaries from both local and international festivals including the Los AngelesTelly Awards, often described as the commercial sector’s Oscars.

In New Zealand, the company is just concluding the filming of  a new reality TV series, Phunk Nation,” which will screen on Maori television next year.

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The former Rawhiti Hospital in Mt Eden Road, Auckland, is being transformed into the latest trend in senior living options – a boutique retirement village.

Founding directors of Arrow International, Ron Anderson and Bob Foster, are major backers of a new company which has purchased the property from Krukziener Properties, for $10.2 million.

Messers Anderson and Foster are also directors of the fast growing independent retirement living company, Vision Senior Living. They first considered the purchase of the development on behalf of that company, which designs, builds and manages retirement communities with populations of 150 to 250 people.

Instead, after the Vision Board decided not to purchase, the two directors bought the complex separately. It will be renamed Mt Eden Gardens.

Bob Foster said many of the operational routines developed at Vision will be applied in Mt Eden Gardens but it will be distinctly different because it will have a much smaller residential population than the Vision communities.

“We believe there is an opportunity to develop a wide range of retirement village solutions – the over 65 market is not one ‘homogenous’ group. There is a real future for independent retirement living of a boutique size. This property is particularly attractive because of its location in the heart of Mount Eden village,” he said.

“While the economies of scale in a community of this size, limit some of the services we can provide, it is ideally located near the Mt Eden Shopping Centre and close to downtown Auckland.”

Krukziener Properties had substantially improved the property from 2003 for use as a luxury rest home/ serviced apartments.

The new owner’s philosophy is to focus on more independent living and they are currently enhancing the landscaping, redesigning the common facilities and adding facilities such as a spa, gym, library computer room and a “Bloke’s” shed.

The apartments range from the luxury two bedroom/two bathroom apartments at $685,000 to the smaller one bedroom apartments at $230,000.

All apartments will be for sale under the standard Licence To Occupy title used by most retirement communities.

Bob Foster said demand is already growing and they expect the apartments will mainly sell to people already living within a ten kilometre radius of the village.

An official opening is planned for late February-early March next year.

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