On Thursday, Actors Equity NZ and its parent Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance will meet with the Screen Production and Development Agency to discuss the issues the actors' guild has with the treatment of actors in New Zealand, according to The Hollywood Reporter. New Zealand economic development minister Gerry Brownlee, director of the Actors’ Equity Section of the MEAA Australia Simon Whipp and SPADA CEO Penelope Borland will be among those at the meeting.

Borland hopes the meeting will result in end of the international boycott of THE HOBBIT. A group of actors over the weekend met to discuss their concerns about the possibility of the boycott pushing the production out the country.

Equity organizer Frances Walsh said the meeting Thursday is a good first step to negotiating a better contract for performances in New Zealand. Equity still wants to meet separately with the producers of THE HOBBIT.