About Hayley

When I started school, I spent many of my lunch breaks holding hands with Mrs Harrison…

She was an elderly dinner lady who never pressured me to join in games or make friends before I was ready. Instead, we'd walk together, sing little songs, and quietly watch the world go by. She gave me something I've never forgotten: the feeling of being truly seen.

Looking back, I've realised that some of the most meaningful relationships in my life have been with people who carried years of wisdom, stories and experience.

I've always been drawn to the lives behind the faces.

The stories behind the stories.

The things that often go unasked and unheard.

Today, that same curiosity and care sits at the heart of my work.

For the past twelve years I've worked in the wedding industry, first as a celebrant and later as a filmmaker.

I've had the privilege of standing alongside people during some of life's most meaningful moments — from weddings, births, and family milestones, to personal stories and brand journeys.

Over the years I've interviewed hundreds of people, documented countless hours of conversation, and crafted those moments into stories and films that families return to again and again.

Long before I picked up a camera, storytelling was already woven through my life.

My background includes theatre, expressive arts, poetry, history and the study of psychology. Human stories have always fascinated me — not because they're extraordinary, but because they're deeply ordinary.

And ordinary lives are often where the most beautiful stories are found.

Today, I'm also a wife, a mother of two, a poet & writer, and someone who still finds herself drawn to the company of wise elders. Some of my favourite conversations happen sitting with older women at Te Moata, listening to their experiences and learning from lives well-lived.

Legacy Films grew from a simple belief:

‘Every person carries a story worth preserving.’

Not because they were famous.

Not because they changed the world.

But because they changed someone's world.

It would be an honour to help preserve yours.