So… Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Paul Goldsmith (Minister for Public Service; Digitising Government; Arts, Culture and Heritage; Media and Communications) got together and announced that the government is embarking on a fundamental overhaul of the public service to improve services, lift productivity and deliver better value for money.
Government departments will be merged, public service staffing will be reduced from 1.2% of the population to 1% over time, at a loss of an estimated 9000 jobs.
What does that mean for us, you might wonder?
If you look at Goldsmith’s Amplify: A Creative and Cultural Strategy for New Zealand, which I’ve written about previously, you can see similar themes emerge, the predominant ones of which are:
More bangs for the buck.
And:
There ain’t no more money, honey.
Taking both into account, I’m going to moot some possible outcomes should National get back into power with its Wegovy-like approach to the public service.
The Mergers
NZFC and NZ on Air will merge. Just like government departments, the Nats will look to a single streamlined screen funding body with fewer people doing more work, but without more funding. In fact, probably less. NZFC was gearing up for the merger for quite a while, with a fair bit of jockeying to ensure they came out on top. This shotgun marriage is an inevitability no matter who gets into power, so we’ll just have to live with it.
The TVNZ/RNZ merger won’t come back. The two are such incompatible partners with different kaupapa. I just can’t see their colours being changed for them.
Commercial Imperatives for Screen
‘Art for art’s sake’ is not a National catch cry. So what is seen as a better return on investment?:
- More commercial fare
- Export-driven content
- More private sector investment
- Continued international service production
This isn’t all bad, but in the auteur film space, only A-list and top genre-specific festival success will suffice, or you’re going to need to pull box office. In regard to export product, if we don’t get more funding and better conditions to create our own IP, we’re just going to meander along like we always have, with the occasional hit to keep us juiced. Games will ultimately outstrip traditional screen and prove an easier draw for funding under this government—it’s scalable. Private sector money will remain mostly a philanthropic exercise without greater investment incentives. Someone should take a look at the Belgian Tax Shelter or the Luxembourg Audiovisual Support System for possible solutions. Governments love invisible exports, and international screen production here delivers it. It ain’t going anywhere. The broader arts eco-system, however, is going to suffer.
Next week, Nicola Willis will deliver Budget 2026, which will shed more light (or throw more shadow) on the future of Screen. Thankfully, we are seen in government circles as an export industry as well as part of the cultural sector. This could well be our saving grace.
Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director
