Avalon, a suburb in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, formed as a private residential development in the 1970s on land formerly occupied by market gardens on the left (eastern) bank of the Hutt River. It features mostly California-inspired designed houses, often split-level, with 3 and 4 bedrooms. Avalon came to the attention of most New Zealanders as the early centre of the country's nation-wide television broadcasting production, particularly with the opening of the purpose-built Avalon Studios in 1975. Given that New Zealand started regular public television broadcasting for the first time in 1960, and instituted networked television in 1973 with only a single (and State-owned) channel available to viewers, the sole provider of television broadcasting acquired a monopoly position of immense influence within the New Zealand mass media, and the name "Avalon" summarised and expressed that clout for many years. Television New Zealand has inherited and continues to operate some functions from Avalon, even though its corporate centre now functions in Auckland. Avalon also became the focus of New Zealand film production (through and building on the National Film Unit), which was bought by Peter Jackson in the late 1990s and is now incorporated in his Park Road Post facility. Avalon is now the home of such television shows as 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'Good Morning'.
