Here’s Hoping
Donald Trump’s tariff threats on film is causing considerable angst globally and extreme nervousness in New Zealand, even though detail is still entirely lacking, apart from Jon Voight’s plan, which seems to have triggered Trump’s reaction.
In discussions with the Directors Guild of America two weeks ago, I was informed that production in the US was already down by around 40%. Estimates put the global decrease at 17 – 20%.
Anecdotally, we seem to have a reasonable level of international production here right now with at least two Evil Dead films, Gollum and Zelda. The forward slate from June is supposedly looking positive at this point, too. Of course, things could change dramatically in an instant, depending on which way the wind is blowing Trump’s ‘do’.
Even though NZ seems okay for now, there is concern regarding the uncompetitiveness of our international screen production rebate at 20% plus a possible 5% uplift. When they can get a guaranteed federal 30% plus state rebates that can add up to 10% or more in Australia, it’s not hard to see why US production continues to go there.
The US guilds are cautiously supporting the call for more production to stay in California and the US, even though there is a general acceptance that runaway productions are still a necessity for the system to function.
The NZ above-the-line guilds and associations who depend primarily on domestic production for our members to be gainfully employed are much more interested in the funding available for making local films and programmes.
Scripted is still the biggest employer of crew, while scripted and factual are good job sources for both directors and editors. The funding available from NZ On Air, the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and Te Māngai Pāho (TMP) is therefore crucial for the creative, cultural and financial wellbeing of DEGANZ members.
For NZFC and NZ On Air, funding comes from Vote Arts and Culture and for TMP, Vote Māori Development. For many years, the funding was essentially at a default setting. But as we all know, NZFC funding was cut last Budget, although NZ On Air’s and TMP’s funding remained the same. With the Coalition still focused on cost cutting, how our funding bodies will fare come Budget time next week is on many people’s minds.
International production is the rich cousin when it comes to the New Zealand screen industry. But international and domestic are in a symbiotic survival relationship, even though those who work primarily in international sometimes forget that. Should international production drop off, we are going to need a greater increase in funding for domestic production than we already require to carry the load. Here’s hoping Minister Goldsmith has pointed this out to his cabinet colleagues in a convincing manner.
Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director
Last updated on 15 May 2025
