James Cameron has loved New Zealand for years. Now he says he and his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, didn’t just visit or spend time there. They moved their whole family there permanently in 2020.
Cameron recently explained the real reason behind that decision. He said the move had nothing to do with beautiful views. And, he just wanted a place that felt safer and more sensible during the COVID-19 years.
James Cameron Says New Zealand Became His Family’s Permanent Home
James Cameron talked about the move on the latest episode of ‘In Depth with Graham Bensinger‘. He said New Zealand’s way of handling COVID-19 made him want to live there long-term. Cameron also shared that his love for New Zealand goes back a long time. He first visited in 1994 and felt a strong connection right away.
He remembered thinking, “I made myself a promise. ‘I’m going to come live here someday,’” because he “just really fell in love with” the country and its people. Suzy agreed to the idea early on. Cameron said when they first discussed it seriously, she told him, “Fine, no problem.” He added that she was “game.” Life later became more complicated because they had kids and strong roots in Malibu and Santa Barbara, so the plan needed small changes.
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Even though they had a full life in California, Cameron said they still wanted to move someday. He said they made a promise to make it happen after working on Avatar. Cameron bought a farm in New Zealand in 2011. He spent years traveling back and forth after that. He also worked on 2022’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ during that time, so his schedule kept him moving between countries.
August 2020 became the moment when the family finally made the move together. Cameron said they decided to “make the move as a family,” and they stayed in New Zealand permanently after that.
Cameron Says New Zealand Felt More “Sane” Than the U.S.
Cameron praised New Zealand’s COVID-19 results. He said the country “had eliminated the virus completely,” and he said it happened twice. He explained that the virus later came back in a mutated form, but New Zealand already had a 98% vaccination rate.
Cameron said this is exactly why he respects the country. “This is why I love New Zealand. People there are, for the most part, sane,” he said. He compared that to the United States, where he said the vaccination rate was 62% and was “going down; going the wrong direction.”
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Cameron then asked a strong question about where someone would rather live. He described one place as a country that believes in science and works together. He described the other place as a country where people are “at each other’s throats,” highly divided, and turning away from science.
Graham Bensinger called the U.S. “a fantastic place to live,” but Cameron pushed back right away. He replied, “Is it?” Bensinger also talked about New Zealand’s scenery, but Cameron said that wasn’t the reason he stayed. “I’m not there for scenery, I’m there for the sanity,” he said.
Cameron sees New Zealand as more than a place to work on movies or enjoy nature. He sees it as a better place to raise his children and build a stable life. Even after years of success in Hollywood, he said peace of mind matters more than anything else.
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