So Where Do We Stand?

As we come to the end of 2025, it’s worth taking a look at where the NZ screen sector stands.

Global market pressures have been buffeting the New Zealand screen sector for years, and our hair is a little more than tussled.

Our industry has been in reactive mode for at least the last 10 years, at times trying but always failing to play catch-up as the constant winds of change sweep through the international film and TV business. This, of course, has been exacerbated by the damage wrought by Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google (now Alphabet) [FAANG], the digital platforms hoovering up all the advertising dollars, the streamers, and the change in viewer habits.

The latest attempt to address the imbalance has been the changes to the international rebate that will take effect on 1 January 2026:

• A lowering of the minimum qualifying spend for feature films from $15 million to $4 million
• The reduction of the threshold for the 5% “uplift” from $30 million to $20 million
• Allowing the 5% uplift to become available for Post-Production, Digital, and Visual Effects (PDV)-only projects and removing of the cap on “above-the-line” costs.

It wasn’t until the NZ line producers, studios, and other service providers started screaming that their side of the industry was falling off a cliff that the government did something about it—attracting offshore money is something our economic growth-focused government can understand.

Of course, these are welcome changes for crew, post outfits, and international productions looking for incentives for their next projects. Our service industry gets to survive a little longer.

But where, frankly, is the additional funding that’s going to support our domestic production sector?

There’s always going to be some form of limited funding available to make films and programmes with. However, it just won’t be enough for anything more than the cottage industry we seem to be rapidly becoming.

Over in Australia, they have at least made an effort to do something about it.

The Albanese Government has pushed through the Communications Legislation Amendment (Australian Content Requirement for Subscription Video On Demand (Streaming) Services) Bill.

The new laws, coming into effect on 1 January 2026, require streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers to need to invest at least 10% of their total programme expenditure for Australia, or 7.5% their revenue, in new local drama, children’s, documentary, arts and educational programs.

While not the panacea everybody over there was hoping for, it’s generally perceived as a positive start.

Additionally, their government has added AUS$50 million over three years to the ABC funding pot to support the production of new Australian children’s and drama content.

Here, we have talked about the streamer levy for some time now. When the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage released the Media Reform Discussion Document for feedback in February this year, proposals included that local and global streaming platforms would have local content investment “obligations”. At the time, MCH Minister Paul Goldsmith was reported as saying that the options would be looked at.

Coming off the Media Reform document and feedback, the launch in August this year of Amplify, the government’s five-year strategy for the creative and culture sector, is full of words and short of dollars. Here’s what it has to say about increased funding:

Action 1.2 – Leverage alternative funding sources for the sector to support sector sustainability and provide more jobs and opportunities for creative practitioners
Supporting activities
Increase philanthropic and wider private investment in the creative and cultural sectors using lessons learned from previous initiatives.

• • Timeframe: 2025–28

Action 3.6 – Explore initiatives to support increased investment in and access to local screen content; to grow the contribution of the screen industry to New Zealand’s economy and ensure it reflects and develops our cultural identity
Supporting activities

Increase reporting on the sector’s current involvement in local content to encourage further investment.

• • Timeframe: 2025–2030

While there are many wonderful, soft and fuzzy objectives in Amplify, a number of which, if achieved, could help the overall creative sector, there’s nada in it about direct, increased production funding for screen.

Meanwhile, the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill and the merger of NZ On Air and NZFC have been put on hold. And it’s looking very much like the local content investment “obligations” have been put on hold, too.

In a recent chat with Minister Goldsmith, he told me that the government is looking at tweaking the domestic NZ Screen Production Rebate to make it work better for the local sector. But as I have also said to him repeatedly, we need more funding to make TV and film for the now highly international and competitive market we are in. His reply to date has always been that there won’t be additional funding coming any time soon out of government coffers.

So, how’s 2026 looking for us? Well, not all bad despite what I’ve written so far.

The recent Round Rua funding announcements from NZ On Air have given some production companies Xmas presents and a lifeline into 2026.

The changes in approach and personnel at NZFC are still being welcomed by the industry.

Some international productions shooting in New Zealand are confirmed, and there are possibly more headed our way next year, thanks in great part it would seem to the changes made to international incentives.

Taika, Cliff and Jason (Momoa) have reportedly bought Auckland Film Studios, so there’ll likely be some help there.

But there is still so much more that needs to be done to get us out of the “red” and into the “black”.

It’s worthwhile having a listen to producer Matthew Metcalfe’s interview on RNZ from the weekend for an additional perspective.

In the meantime, summer is officially here, there has been some good weather, and hopefully more to come.

Tui Ruwhiu
Executive Director

Last updated on 5 December 2025