Hobbit workers tried to gag Labour Department inspectors looking into a fire that engulfed a crew member’s head. The department has given a copy of its report into the fire at Miramar’s Stone Street Studios to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act.

The fire, which left two crew members with minor burns, started when flammable fumes ignited inside a hollow statue prop, the report revealed. A veil of secrecy descended after the May fire. An investigator who attended it reported: “I’ve been asked to fill out a confidentiality agreement. I advised I will take this away for advice.” More..