As you may be aware, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH), working with the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and Film New Zealand (FNZ), have carried out an initial review of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) which was introduced in April 2014.
The NZSPG’s first year has been successful, and early indications are that the Grant’s economic, industry development, and cultural objectives are being achieved. The international marketing of New Zealand as a film destination has led to increased productions and improved business confidence, with the NZFC seeing a three-fold increase in applications for the Grant.
The review outcomes will see some changes to the marketing and criteria of the NZSPG to ensure this momentum is built upon, and the best use of available resources to promote the New Zealand screen industry.
Criteria Amendments
The review also includes amendments to the NZSPG criteria for both international and New Zealand productions.
Amendments to NZSPG criteria for international productions:
- To encourage more international post production in New Zealand and support smaller visual effects companies, the qualifying production expenditure threshold for the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Grant, a subset of the NZSPG, will be lowered from $1 million to $500,000 from 1 August this year.
- Additional minor, technical amendments to the NZSPG criteria for international productions come into effect on 1 August 2015.
Amendments to NZSPG criteria for New Zealand productions:
- Following from the review, an exception to allow children’s drama productions to access both the NZSPG and funding from other screen agencies will come into effect on 1 August 2015.
- This change recognises the particular opportunities the genre provides to develop skills in the industry, and for New Zealand children to see themselves on screen.
-An increase in the qualifying points threshold for Significant New Zealand Content for television and other non-feature film productions, in order to align with the threshold for feature films.
- A new requirement for television and non-feature film productions to meet a 10 per cent market attachment threshold
- A limit on the amount of funding available for stock or archive footage to ensure grant funding is provided only to productions which further the grant’s cultural and industry development objectives.
- Additional minor, technical amendments to the NZSPG criteria for New Zealand productions come into effect on 1 August 2015.
A report on the review’s findings has been published on the MBIE and MCH websites.
New criteria can be found on the NZFC website.
Screen Agency Structure
Announced alongside the review, is the Government agreeing that the NZFC assume responsibility for the functions of FNZ, creating a single organisation that will lead international marketing and be a clear first point of contact for international screen enquiries.
The two screen agencies have worked closely together to ensure the success of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant since it was introduced last year and a single agency builds on and formalises that approach.
Effective from 1 August 2015, the services offered by FNZ will continue as usual, and staff will move across to the NZFC premises and become part of NZFC’s expanded international and marketing teams.
For more than two decades, FNZ under its industry-led board, has played a major role in bringing international screen productions to New Zealand, helping hundreds of filmmakers, creating jobs and adding value to the New Zealand economy. Headed for the past five years by outgoing Chief Executive Gisella Carr, under her leadership FNZ has been hugely instrumental in the success achieved by the NZSPG, including New Zealand’s increased attractiveness as an international screen production location and encouraging the use of New Zealand’s skills and talent on and off-screen.