A note from the CE
Today we are celebrating the colour orange - and the (relative) freedom we are all enjoying with a loosening of many of the restrictions we've had on our daily lives and mahi over recent months. I hope our creative sector, in particular music artists, are able to make the most of this time and that the public comes out in support. It is important though that we all continue to follow best practice and official advice around keeping ourselves healthy and safe.
As always, there's a great deal going on in the sector, so our team appreciated a quieter funding round this time with limited pūtea remaining this financial year. The main funding outcome was in the Te Māngai Pāho co-fund - with 12 bilingual projects selected to increase the exposure of New Zealanders to an array of content in te reo Māori and English. The partnership with Te Māngai Pāho continues to be a real bright spot in our mahi - collectively we are providing new avenues for content creation that is authentically of Aotearoa.
Aside from funding work, we continue to work with officials and our colleagues at RNZ and TVNZ on the strong public media programme, and engage with Te Māngai Pāho regarding the Māori Media Shift. We are also working on a submission to the government review of investment into the screen sector. We have contracted screen sector tax off-sets expert Tim Philips (formerly Head of Business Affairs at Screen Australia) to pull this together, with sector input.
It's a happy/sad time for us as we prepare to farewell our much-loved and respected Head of Music David Ridler. David finishes at the end of April but has been retained on a contract to complete some strategic work and assist with the transition. We have held final interviews for his replacement and hope to announce the successful candidate very soon. We had a very strong field of candidates, a testament to the high regard in which the music team is held.
Ngā mihi nui,
Cam
Screen Production Relief Fund
Just a note that as we head into what's usually our biggest funding round of the year, processing of applications for the COVID-19 Screen Production Relief Fund (SPRF) may slow down a little.
Staff are mindful of needing to assist as quickly as possible but will also be fully engaged in application assessments for the July round, so turn-around times may lengthen a bit during this period.
NZ Media Fund update
Our April round had limited funds available due to the financial year end coming up.
The round accepted Factual content applications to the NZ On Air/Te Māngai Pāho co-fund, and Scripted content applications for this fund under the Newer Storytellers stream of the Scripted Roadmap. It was also open to both Content Development and Industry Development applications.
In total we received 33 Scripted, Factual, Content Development and Industry Development Fund applications seeking just over $4.3m. We are pleased to support the funding of 24 Scripted, Factual, Content Development and Industry Development applications for up to $3.4m.
We're also pleased to announce the funding of a third season of Taskmaster NZ. This decision was made at our December 2021 Board meeting.
The full details of all funding decisions are at the end of this newsletter. You can also use the funding decisions search on our website.
National Treasures, Pango Productions for TVNZ 1
NZ On Air / Te Māngai Pāho co-fund
Irirangi Te Motu NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho’s fourth co-funding round has awarded 12 bilingual projects up to $5.9m to further champion the use of te reo Māori across a wide variety of platforms.
Audience favourites National Treasures and The Casketeers will be returning for additional seasons, alongside a wealth of innovative new Factual content such as Get The Name Right, Auraki, Imposter, and The All Goods Race.
Read more in the NZ On Air / Te Māngai Pāho media release here.
Music
This round included our fourth New Music Project round for 2021/22.
We have supported seven projects. Project grants are for multi-single release campaigns including subsidy for recording, video content and promotions and marketing campaigns for the releases.
% expenditure to date
*Please note: Due to the majority of Round 2 role employment contracts being for two years, the Public Interest Journalism Fund will appear overspent, but this will be accounted for in the 2022/23 year.
Music update
‘Level Up’ for NZ Music Month 2022
The theme for NZ Music Month in May this year is ‘Level Up’ – helping to raise the profile of new and emerging artists and supporting them to the next level of their music career.
There will be a host of activities and media spotlight based around this theme across Aotearoa throughout May. This will include the popular NZ Music T-shirt day on Friday 27 May, the NZ Music Month Summit on Saturday 28 May at Auckland’s Tuning Fork (also being live streamed), and the Taite Music Prize ceremony on Sunday 29 May.
Radio and online media throughout the country are carrying extra NZ music features on the Level Up theme to help bring into focus the potential local music stars of tomorrow.
All the details on this year’s NZ Music Month are available here.
2022/23 Music budget and extra funding rounds
The additional Music funding that was enabled by the government’s Music Recovery Package in May 2020 comes to an end on 30 June at the end of our 2021/22 funding year. In this time we’ve been able to fund additional initiatives such as New Music Development, extra focus rounds for New Music Pasifika, New Music Kids and Waiata Takitahi, and place extra professional services support around newly-funded artists.
For the 2022/23 we have been able to reprioritise funds internally to ensure the extra Music funding initiatives can continue, so we’ll be able to run more of these focus rounds in the funding year head. Deadlines for the remainder of 2022 have been updated and are available here.
Haere rā from David Ridler
"Thank you for the absolute privilege and honour of being able to serve as the Head of Music at Irirangi Te Motu/NZ On Air for the past six years. I have been so lucky to collaborate with such a wide range of wonderful people in the music sector, broadcasting and online media sectors, various parts of government, and across a huge number of music artists and producers. It’s been an incredible ride but now it’s time to take a breather and spend some extra time with my highly energetic young daughter before she heads off to school next year. I’m really pleased that I’ll still have an ongoing advisory role with NZ On Air but I’ll also have time for some other projects – so let’s see what happens next.
Nāku nei te mihi hūmārie, te mihi maioha, ki a koutou katoa mō o koutou tautoko. Kei te mihi, kei te mihi, kei te mihi.
- David
( This is my warm and humble acknowledgement to you all for all your support. Thank you. )
Public Interest Journalism update
Round 4 of the Public Interest Journalism Fund is currently open. Applications close 4pm Thursday 28 April.
NZ Geographic feature
Happy Birthday to the Public Interest Journalism Fund!
The first round of the Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF) opened a year ago on 30 April 2021. Since then more than 15,000 pieces of content have been created with 12 million page views of that content so far.
Innovative content created includes a cover feature on Manta Rays for NZ Geographic, part of a year-long series of stories focused on our oceans. The PIJF has also enabled a new weekly news show for kids – News 2 Me which has launched on TVNZ and RNZ earlier in April.
April also saw the first story produced by cadets training as part of the Te Rito programme for Māori and Diverse Voice journalism. The 25 cadets are about to embark on month-long newsroom placements rotating through the four partner organisations over the next four months.
Meet the team
Cat Goodwin
Meet Cat Goodwin, our Audience and Media Strategist. Cat joined us just under a year ago from media agency OMD.
Cat brings her passionate data geek-ery to our team to help us make well-informed funding decisions, assess the impact of content, and is creating a new robust multi-dimensional way of measuring audiences across multiple platforms.
Find out more about Cat on our Meet the team page.
Funding details
NZ On Air / Te Māngai Pāho co-fund
National Treasures 2, 4 x 44 mins, Pango Productions for TVNZ 1 and TVNZ OnDemand, up to $1,218,856. National Treasures 2 will discover more stories from New Zealand’s collective history through objects, keepsakes and taonga from the past 100 years.
Get The Name Right, 6 x 22 mins, Pango Productions for ThreeNow and Three, up to $693,374. This series follows comedian Joe Daymond as he travels across the motu, illuminating the good, the bad and the ugly behind place names in Aotearoa, and settling a few debates along the way.
Hua Parakore, 8 x 26 mins, Storybox for Māori Television, up to $614,594. This documentary will visit whānau on the whenua to learn about how and why our current industrialised food system is broken, and the role Māori food and soil sovereignty has in creating meaningful solutions to the climate crisis.
Casketeers 6, 8 x 23 mins, Great Southern Television for TVNZ 1, up to $598,903. The trials and tribulations of Aotearoa’s most beloved funeral directors will be documented in season six of Casketeers.
1.5 Degrees – A Global Warning, 8 x 25 mins, Faultline Films for Māori Television, up to $588,276. This series highlights the diverse ways rangatahi are challenging power relationships and political interests to promote climate-resilient futures.
Auraki, 8 x 26 mins, Black Iris for Māori Television, up to $587,122. Auraki will tell the intimate stories of people connecting with their Māori whakapapa and whenua.
Impossible: Stan Walker, 1 x 44 mins, Kura Productions for TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand, up to $367,746. A one-off special that will see acclaimed artist Stan Walker weave kōrero and waiata in front of a small live studio audience, as he reflects on pivotal moments in his life in honour and celebration of Matariki.
Kia ora, Good Evening, 1 x 44 mins, Great Southern Television for Three, up to $231,879. A one-off documentary that will capture newsreader Mike McRoberts’ journey to reclaim what was lost to his whānau a generation ago: te reo Māori.
Haka Life Te Matatini 2023, 10 x 10 mins, Mako Media for (platform TBC), up to $408,218. An observational web series that will take a behind scenes look at the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the defending Te Matatini champions, Ngā Tūmanako as they go for back-to-back wins at the 2023 event.
No Limits, 6 x 10 mins, Fire Fire for RNZ platforms and Fire Fire’s social media platform FlameNZ, up to $195,000. This high-octane adventure sports series will delve into the psyche of fearless Māori athletes who just want to do one thing – go fast.
Imposter, 5 x 10 mins, Fire Fire for RNZ platforms and Fire Fire’s social media platform FlameNZ, up to $175,000. A mini-documentary series examining how Māori artists deal with imposter syndrome.
The All Goods Race, 8 x 10 mins, Westpark for RNZ TAHI, up to $151,936. Aotearoa social media stars Torrell Tafa and Terewai Kopua face off in a race across the North Island where each is only allowed to rely on the kindness of their fellow Kiwis to get to the other side.
***The above funding figures are the total committed - split 50/50 between Te Māngai Pāho and NZ On Air.
Scripted
Taskmaster NZ 3, 10 x 44 mins, Kevin & Co for TVNZ 2, up to $886,574.
Fresh Fairytales (additional), 5 x 12 mins, Tikilounge Productions for HEIHEI, up to $31,225
Kāinga (additional), 1 x 80, Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions for RNZ, up to $177,450
Platform
95BFM 2021/22, Campus Radio BFM, up to $10,652
RDU98.5FM 2021/22, RDU 98.5FM, up to $9,055
Music
New Music Development - up to $6,000
Adam Hogan
Allister Meffan (AJM)
Charlotte Yates
Chequered Pattern$
Chris and Sarena Close
Chris Chetland and Rei
Clarissa Chai
Dan Sharp
Dave Johnston
Emily Wheatcroft-Snape
Harry Charles
Huia Hamon
Jack Laven (33 Below)
Jazmine Mary Music
Julia Deans
Levi Patel
Nathan Judd
Tami Neilson
Thom O'Connor
Tim Heeringa (Wulfie)
Tom Verberne
Tommy Nee
New Music Pasifika
Ezra Phoenix, Solomon Esera, up to $1,740
New Music Project
Deceptikonz, Nicnak Media, up to $8,000
Dallas Tamaira, Sunday Toast, up to $30,000
Georgia Lines, Commotion, up to $40,000
Harper Finn, Warner Music New Zealand, up to $30,000
Kiki Rockwell, Universal Music New Zealand, up to $40,000
Muroki, CRS Music Management, up to $40,000
Prins, Big Dawg Productions, up to $30,000
Zed, August Avenue, up to $40,000
New Music Single - up to $10,000
Amiria Grenell, The Ghost in You
Blake, CPU
Bridges, Pills
Capital Theatre, Delicately Poised
Cellarr, Let Go Feat. Lilly Carron
Corrella NZ, Local Stranger
Dawn Diver, Soothsayers
Die! Die! Die!, Vanish (But That's My Hometown)
Earth Tongue, Great Haunting
Fable, Easier
Freddy Reynold, Flirt Feat. Jujulipps
Goodwill, Get Angry
Hamo Dell, Little Fun Feat. Sammy Johnson
Hans., Be Grateful
Hina, Lighthouse Feat. Harry Parsons
Imugi 이무기, Spirals
Jazmine Mary, Seagull
Jordan Gavet, He Said
Judah Kelley, Apathy
Lévyne, Call You Out
Masaya, Attention
Midwave Breaks, the Others Side
Na Noise, Welcome Home
October and the Eyes, Spiral
Phodiso, Rough
Princess Chelsea, Forever Is a Charm
Prins, That's the Thing
Rodney Fisher, Keeping up Appearances Feat. Terri
Sweet Mix Kids, Gravitate Feat. Lou'ana
The Beths, A Real Thing
The Knews, Pretty Girl
The Warratahs, Silver Train
Toi, Way That We Feel Feat. Zoe Moon
Valkyrie, Yaddy Ya
Vera Ellen, Home Wrecker
Morgan Costello, Strange Love
Anderson Rocio, My World
Ant Utama, Biding My Time
Aunty Rae, Anymore
Bub, New Amsterdam
Cellarr, Gold
Chores, Indigo Feat. Rei
Corrella NZ, We On
Crystal, Expectations Suck
Dallas James, Stranger
Dartz, Earn the Thirst
Deva Mahal, I Want You (for All Time)
Dual, So Alive
Edy & Sione Toki, Call Me
Fable, Close2home
Fraser Ross, Thunderhead
Gino October & Cee Blu, Love Lost
Hanbee, Weekenders Feat. Hans.
Haz' Beats & Miloux, What You Do Feat. Diggy Dupe
Hybrid Rose, Fantasy
Ingrid and the Ministers, Boofhead
Jake Love, Better
Kaylee Bell, If I Was Shania
Kora, All We Need
Lake South, Andrew and James (Seasons)
Luca George, Ruin My Life
Mazbou Q, Now I'm Whole
Mo Etc., Underwater
Princess Chelsea, Love Is More
Proteins of Magic, Lethal
Randa, Baby Back
Rhys Rich, Freeze
Rubi Du, Back Up
Ryan Fisherman, End
Jaz Paterson, Sean Richards & Jaz Paterson Feat. Rei
Seas of Conflict, Consume
Seth Haapu, Tropical
Sophie-Maude, Take Me Away
Te Kaahu, Taupiri
Trei, Tiki Taane & Murdock, Like A Thriller
Wiri Donna, Being Alone
Womb, Oceans
Waiata Takitahi - up to $14,000
Alya Jade, Under Her Spell (Boom)
Ariana Tikao, Fly You Home
Aro, Kia Mau
Corrella NZ, Raumati
Deadforest, Get Back
Dillastrate, Tāku Aroha
Four32, Going Home
Hina, What We Sayin'
Mohi, Lovers Lane / Te Aroha Mauroa
NLC, E Noho Rā
Reiki Ruawai, Papatuanuku
Sweet Mix Kids, Stargazing / Arorangi Te Feat. Rei
Valkyrie, Bad Girl
Industry Development
NZ Television Awards 2022, J & A Productions, up to $60,000
NZ Web Fest 2022, NZ Web Fest, up to $10,000
NZ Music Month Summit 2022, Music Managers Forum, up to $5,000
Pan-Asian Capacity Building: Episode One (Additional), Pan-Asian Screen Collective, up to $9,937
Tāhuna Writers Residency, Great Southern Television, up to $20,000
WeCreate 2022, WeCreate Incorporated, up to $10,000
Going Local 2022, Independent Music NZ, up to $4,500
Niu Waves, Pacific Islands Screen Artists, up to $49,938
SRN Governance Project, Kea New Zealand, up to $18,500
Niu Waves Development, Pacific Islands Screen Artists, up to $50,000
Joseph’s Youtube (and Other) Secrets, Aotearoa Screen Publicists Collective, up to $15,000