New Zealand party awaits Peter Jackson

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, March 4 (UPI) -- New Zealanders are waiting for the return of their hero, native Peter Jackson, before celebrating the Oscar sweep by the filmmaker's "Return of the King."

"Any decision about the form of the tribute should involve Peter," Kerry Prendergast, Wellington's mayor, told BBC News Online Thursday.

"This is of huge importance to Wellington, so our emphasis will be on getting it right, not getting it quickly," she said.

Jackson has not yet returned from the United States, where "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," the final part in the trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic, won a record-breaking 11 Oscars at Sunday's Hollywood event, claiming the prize in every category in which the film was nominated.

The films' success has turned Jackson into New Zealand's most beloved son, due in part to Jackson persuading Hollywood's New Line Cinema to film the three-part series in his native land, creating an economic boon for New Zealand.