Any visitor to the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand will no doubt have had some contact with water. Be it the considerable rainfall, the impressive beaches, or the stunning mountains and glaciers, water is everywhere. This close tie with water and a passion for telling tall tales resulted in the idea of a water based festival.

 In 2004 the Wet West Film Fest was set up by Jo Kearns and Dave Kwant.

Jo Kearns is a retired kayaker and marketing consultant. Jo deals with promting the festival and talking to the media.
Dave Kwant: is a kayaker by choice and also an adventure film maker. Dave deals with film makers, film entries and the thousands of cables.

Dave and Jo are backed up by a committee of 3 members

Mike Keenan & Michelle Haskett work for the Westland District Council Events Department. Mike deals with funding applications and Michelle does the organising of volunteers and making sure we all get our jobs done on time!