Decision to extend Screen Production Grant eligibility "win, win, win"

NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho are thrilled with the change to the NZ Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) settings, which will now make domestic projects with international ambitions able to apply for the NZSPG alongside NZ On Air or Te Māngai Pāho funding. 

While children’s series and animation series have since 2014 been able to apply both for NZSPG and NZ On Air or Te Māngai Pāho funding, the public media funding agencies have long advocated for the widening of the scheme. 

NZ On Air Chief Executive Cameron Harland says today’s announcement is a "win, win, win." 

“The local production sector will benefit from access to larger budgets for premium content with international ambitions, the local economy will benefit from the greater spend on crews, locations and ancillary services, and local and international audiences will enjoy more, high quality content telling authentic stories of Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Harland. 

Larry Parr, Kaihautū of Te Māngai Pāho is excited about the new opportunities for Māori screen content. 

“Extending the scope of the Screen Production Grant to allow projects that have Te Māngai Pāho funding to participate will provide greater opportunities for Māori content creators and Māori content,” says Parr. 

Both leaders point to the experience of Te Puna Kairangi / Premium Productions for International Audiences* which has shown that there are strong local stories waiting for this opportunity. 

“We expect some of the successful local productions funded through Te Puna Kairangi will now be able to apply for a second season of funding, combining the NZSPG rebate with other government funds (NZ On Air or Te Māngai Pāho) and international third-party funding. There is also a healthy pipeline of exciting new content in development,” Harland continued. 

Ministry officials are currently finalising the specific details and timeline for implementation, but NZ On Air is committed to moving forward with a Special Scripted funding round in June - September. The applications for this round will open on June 29 with a deadline for submissions of July 20. This funding round will be open to projects seeking first-in NZ On Air funding with ambitions to also apply for the NZSPG.  

 The NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho Co-fund round for 2023/24 will also be brought forward and will prioritise Scripted content with the intention that producers may also apply for the NZSPG. More information about that funding round will be announced soon. 

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*Te Puna Kairangi (Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund) was a $50m fund provided by the government, and administered jointly by the NZ Film Commission, NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho to help the Aotearoa screen production sector to recover from COVID-19 by supporting high-quality productions that tell New Zealand stories for global audiences. The one-off fund supported 15 projects, of which nine also had NZ On Air funding, which secures distribution on a local free-to-air platform. The Gone currently on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ + is one such project.