This list of famous New Zealander Film Directors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of New Zealander Film Directors.

1. Peter Jackson (1961 – )

With an HPI of 63.86, Peter Jackson is the most famous New Zealander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 80 different languages on wikipedia.

Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and the Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other notable films include the critically lauded drama Heavenly Creatures (1994), the horror comedy The Frighteners (1996), the epic monster remake film King Kong (2005), the World War I documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) and the documentary The Beatles: Get Back (2021). He is the fourth-highest-grossing film director of all-time, his films having made over $6.5 billion worldwide.Jackson began his career with the “splatstick” horror comedy Bad Taste (1987) and the black comedy Meet the Feebles (1989) before filming the zombie comedy Braindead (1992). He shared a nomination for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with his partner Fran Walsh for Heavenly Creatures, which brought him to mainstream prominence in the film industry. Jackson has been awarded three Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), including the award for Best Director. His other awards include three BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards and four Saturn Awards among others. His production company is WingNut Films, and his most regular collaborators are co-writers and producers Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Jackson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002. He was later knighted (as a Knight Companion of the order) by Sir Anand Satyanand, the Governor-General of New Zealand, at a ceremony in Wellington in April 2010. In December 2014, Jackson was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2. Jane Campion (1954 – )

With an HPI of 58.78, Jane Campion is the 2nd most famous New Zealander Film Director.  Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021), for which she has received two Academy Awards (including Best Director for the latter), two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Campion was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in the 2016 New Year Honours, for services to film. Campion is a groundbreaking female director, as of 2022 the only woman to be nominated twice for Academy Award for Best Director (winning once), and the first female filmmaker to receive the Palme d’Or (for The Piano, which also won her the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay). She made history at the 94th Academy Awards when she won Best Director for The Power of the Dog (2021), as the oldest female director to win, the first woman to win Academy Awards for both directing and screenwriting in her different films, and the first woman not to win Best Picture after winning Best Director. She broke the same barrier at the 78th Venice International Film Festival when she won the Silver Lion award. She is the third woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Feature Film. Campion is also known for directing the films An Angel at My Table (1990), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Holy Smoke! (1998), and Bright Star (2009). She also co-created the television series Top of the Lake (2013) and received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

3. Martin Campbell (1943 – )

With an HPI of 58.67, Martin Campbell is the 3rd most famous New Zealander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Martin Campbell (born 24 October 1943) is a New Zealand film and television director based in the United Kingdom. He is known for having directed The Mask of Zorro as well as the James Bond films GoldenEye and Casino Royale. He won a BAFTA for his direction of the 1985 television serial Edge of Darkness.

4. Andrew Niccol (1964 – )

With an HPI of 51.69, Andrew Niccol is the 4th most famous New Zealander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964) is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. He wrote and directed Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014). He wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won him the BAFTA Award in the same category. His films tend to explore social, cultural and political issues, as well as artificial realities, simulations and the male gaze.His film Good Kill was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.

5. Taika Waititi (1975 – )

With an HPI of 50.39, Taika Waititi is the 5th most famous New Zealander Film Director.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( TY-kə WY-tee-tee), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing New Zealand film