The New Zealand FilmCommission, the country's principal investor in local films, has appointed anew chairman, David Cullwick, and four new people to the board.

Cullwick, a business advisorwho was inaugural Professor of Marketing at Victoria University of Wellington, replacesBarrie Everard.

Sydney lawyer Shane Simpson is one of the new faces on theboard, along with filmmaker Vanessa Alexander, who wrote and directed Magik And Rose and is also chair of theNew Zealand Writers' Foundation, and Andrew Cornwell, Sony Pictures generalmanager and a former president of the Motion Picture Distributors Association.

The fourth new person isWendy Palmer, former chief executive of United Artists Films, trustee of the NZFilm Fund Production Trust and board member of the NZ Screen Council.

Businessman Bill Birnie hasbeen re-appointed. Everard has retired as has Helene Wong, James Wallace andBob Harvey.

The NZFC invests indevelopment and production and its sales division handles most local films,sometimes in association with other agencies.