A note from the CE
Cameron Harland
Kia ora koutou
As we hurtle towards the finish line in what has been another eventful year (can we please have an uneventful one soon??) I want to acknowledge the exceptional content made by the creatives we have supported this year.
Right now I am at Content London. It has been a fantastic week with a number of New Zealand producers here meeting with existing and new finance partners. We are well respected and seen as great partners. The key theme up here is that the market is correcting and the streamers in particular are pulling back budgets in favour of profit. Co-production has been talked about consistently as a means of sharing risk on budgets. The changes to the NZSPR that allows NZ On Air contested funds to sit alongside the rebate has been greeted well and a number of our producers have been closing their deals whilst here. Noting that access to international finance is tough and consolidation in the market won’t make that any easier, so we also acknowledge that use of the rebate and our funds certainly won’t be for everyone or every project.
Other international producers that have worked with our local people have been very interested in meeting others while here and I have been able to provide some introductions. It really has been great to see the level of camaraderie and support that our producers have for each other. So with budgets and rates likely to come back it places us in a good position given the value we can deliver.
On that note, it has been so fantastic to see the audience response to After The Party which is pulling combined linear and on demand audiences we haven’t seen for local drama in several years. Along with other successful Te Puna Kairangi projects delivered so far, The Gone and Far North, they are timely evidence that our stories, supported by budgets appropriate to their local and international ambitions, are top quality and in demand. This gives me great hope that with the new widened rebate access we will see a new golden era for New Zealand drama.
Our Annual Report for the 2022/23 year has now been published and you can read it here to find out more about the huge range of successful content and initiatives supported in the past year. You can also have an audio-visual experience of that beautiful content via our 2023 Showreel here. With thanks to NZ On Screen for creating this.
The latest funding round had a substantial Non-Fiction focus. We deliberately boosted the funding available for Non-Fiction after calls from SPADA for a much-needed injection to help more productions get up and running, and quickly. This was a modest way of helping create some work for crew who’ve been doing it tough this year. We focused on an injection in Non-Fiction because these tend to be more ‘shovel-ready’ – able to go into production faster than, say, Scripted projects.
You will have noticed a bit of media attention in recent days on the now closed Public Interest Journalism Fund. Unfortunately there has been, persistently for some time, a lack of context and general misunderstanding about the fund. The lead item on TVNZ One News on Wednesday night did a good job of putting the record straight. It’s important to understand not a single application was declined on the basis of NOT addressing commitment to Te Tiriti, not a single media organisation or journalist has complained of being ‘muzzled’, and not a single piece of content from the more than 92,000 pieces produced so far, has been the subject of a complaint of bias or lack of balance upheld by one of the independent regulators.
I want to close by thanking our Board for their guidance through another year, and my staff for their passion and hard work in service to you, our sector. I hope there will be time for relaxing and enjoying time with whānau for all of you, as there will be for us.
Ngā mihi nui
Cam
Important dates to note
The NZ On Air offices will be closed to give staff a break from Thursday 21 December. We will be back from Monday 8 January.
Our last payments for 2023 will be made on Thursday 14 December. All paperwork for this payment round needs to be received by 5pm Monday 11 December.
Our first payments for 2024 will be on Thursday 11 January.
Looking ahead - funding mahi in 2024
The first funding round of 2024, Round Toru will consider:
- Scripted drama, comedy and children’s content production
- Non-Fiction
- Supported development only
- Games development and production funding
- Capability - industry skills and training initiatives
- Discoverability - industry events and awards
This round will also include:
- Applications to the NZ On Air /TMP Co-fund
- Applications to the Youth RFP
Guidelines for Round Toru will be out in the week commencing 13 December.
- Applications open 18 January 2024
- Applications close 4pm 8 February 2024
- Decisions 12 April 2024
Youth RFP Update
We had an extraordinary response to the Within My Reach RFP for social media first content for 15 - 24 year olds. We received 152 applications from 125 production companies and creative teams seeking $63 million in funding.
Our assessment panel was impressed by the caliber of the proposals received and the creatives emerging in the screen sector. Due to the number of applications received, tough decisions had to be made.
31 proposals from 27 production companies and creative teams, seeking $10.8 million in funding have been invited to submit a full proposal for consideration in Round Toru.
Projects shortlisted demonstrated a strong youth voice, felt intrinsically like social media content, and had research-informed plans to crack the algorithms. As part of the kaupapa of Within My Reach, projects that provided 'next-step' opportunities for young and emerging key creatives were prioritised.
Collectively, the shortlisted projects will be contesting a fund of up to $5m from our one-off $10m additional allocation for priority audiences in Budget '23.
Latest funding round
Round Rua, the second of the financial year, was open to Scripted (Tier 3), Non-Fiction and Content development. We also considered applications for Discoverability and Capability (previously under the Industry Development Fund.)
We received a whopping 168 applications from 142 production companies seeking a total of $25.4m.
We had allocated $7.1m for Scripted, $13m for Non-Fiction, $150k for Content development and $800k for Discoverability and Capability. As mentioned by Cam above, we boosted the Non-Fiction funding by an additional $5m because we saw this as a way to support more projects into production quickly, to help with a current work shortage.
We accepted both unsupported and supported applications for development funding and were deluged with 62 development applications! We supported 44% of these, and as a consequence we are likely to restrict applications in Round Toru to a limited number of Supported Development projects.
We also accepted applications for Games development, or production funding for games that had already received development funding.
Homebound 3.0
Scripted
A new teen drama, a Māori gothic revenge horror, a raft of returning favourites and a huge slate of new screen content in development have been supported in the final NZ On Air funding round of 2023.
Among the new...comedy series Camp Be Better for TVNZ+ is aimed at a youth audience, Mārama is a feature-length film set in Victorian England, and returning are Homebound 3.0 and Hui Hoppers. Read more about the successful projects in the media release here.
Endangered Species Aotearoa 2
Non-Fiction
Audiences will be treated to stories covering a huge range of topics in the latest announcement of funding for Non-Fiction projects from NZ On Air – from teen dads and ‘fangirls’ to choral groups gunning for world recognition.
Headlining the new funded projects is The Choir Games, for Sky Open and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Its a significant international collaboration aimed at local and global audiences. Read more about the huge list of Non-Fiction content funded in this round in the media release here.
For the full funding decisions list please see the final section of this newsletter.
Music update
Artist YAHYAH in their Waiata Takitahi supported clip for ‘I Like You feat. MOHI’.
As the year wraps, our music team wrap their final funding round for the calendar year: Waiata Takitahi, our co-fund with Te Māngai Pāho, supporting the creation and promotion of bilingual reo Māori / reo Pākeha songs. Recipient results will be announced Friday December 8.
We’ll be back in the new year with New Music Single opening for applications January 11 and New Music Project opening January 18.
2024 will see our media and stakeholder compilation, New Tracks, change its deadlines slightly – from the 20th of each month to the 15th – allowing more time for programmers, schedulers and journalists to plan better around great releases from Aotearoa artists.
Lost Tribe Aotearoa performing NZ On Air Music Showcase
Music Review
This year, we commissioned an independent review of our music funding from award-winning composer and domestic music advocate Victoria Kelly – a step in ensuring our funding remains as effective as possible in the ever-changing landscape of local artists and their audiences.
Our response to this review includes changes to our funding streams, including a mandatory artist creation fee, that we’re excited to roll out over the coming calendar year.
We launched the review at the start of November at a Music Showcase in Auckland, which featured PARK RD, HINA, Mim Jensen and Lost Tribe Aotearoa . We were also very pleased to have as special guests Hon. Melissa Lee (who didn't yet know she was the new Minister for Media and Communications) and Hon. Paul Goldsmith (also announced later to be Minister for Arts and Culture).
Celebrating our sound
We’re proud-as-punch to see so many supported artists not only feature but excel within celebrations of the finest music in Aotearoa.
The Pacific Music Awards were held in Tāmaki Makaurau on August 9, recognising excellence in Pasifika artists and their music. Congratulations to all winners on the night - including hip-hop lyricist MELODOWNZ, claiming three top prizes: Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Music Video, and Best Pacific Music Album.
The Student Radio Network Awards were held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara on November 4, celebrating the fertile musical underground of Aotearoa. Congratulations to all local and countrywide winners on the night – including Tāmaki Makaurau dungeon-synth agitators Grecco Romank, who claimed top spot in the year’s SRN Top Ten.
Nelson duo Jola Burns performing at the 2023 Smokefree Rockquest finals
The national finals of the 2023 Smokefree RockQuest were held in Tāmaki Makaurau on September 16, a culmination of local heats and finals platforming over 750 high-school age artists from Whangārei to Invercargill. Congratulations to everyone who took part – including band winners Parkdale from Tāmaki Makaurau and solo winner Salem from Tairāwhiti.
The 58th Annual APRA AMCOS NZ Silver Scroll Awards, were held in Tāmaki Makaurau on October 4, celebrating the very best songwriting in Aotearoa. Congratulations to all nominees, performers and winners on the night – including NZ Music Hall of Fame inductee, the legendary Don McGlashan
Whakarongo mai nei!
Enhance your holiday season - tune in to our music team’s lovingly curated playlist of only the freshest cuts from these shores.
Meet the team
Nina Lesperance - Communications Advisor
Many of you will have dealt with Nina over the phone or emails, or on social media. She joined NZ On Air earlier this year and is working hard behind the scenes to promote your content. Get to know more about Nina here.
Funding details
Scripted
Aho Shorts 2024, 3 x 10’, Nga Aho Whakaari for RNZ, up to $101,500
Camp Be Better, 6 x 20’, Praise The Roid for TVNZ+, up to $675,007
Happiness (Additional), Greenstone Tv for Three, up to $149,890
Homebound 3.0 2, 8 x 22, Kevin & Content for Three, up to $ 979,200
Hui Hoppers 2, 6 x 10, Three Feathers Productions for TVNZ+, up to $861,318
Madam (Additional), Empowered Productions for Three, up to $190,000
Kairakau 4, 6 x 26’, Velvet Stone Media for Whakaata Māori, up to $980,000
Mārama, 1 x 90’, Birds Eye View Productions for Whakaata Māori, up to $350,000
Taskmaster NZ 5, 10 x 44’, Kevin & Content for TVNZ 2, up to $935,059
Toi Time Live!, 1 x 60’, Rogue Productions for TVNZ 2, up to $65,577
Yaptrap 3, 15 x 2’, Sad Patrol for YouTube, up to $207,710
Non-Fiction
1984, 12 x 35’, Hex Work T/A The Spinoff for The Spinoff, up to $153,343
Anzac Day Services 2024, 1 x 200’, Screentime New Zealand for TVNZ1, up to $ 138,294
Being Niuean, 1 x 45’, Tikilounge Productions for The Coconet TV, up to $229,175
Christmas 2023, 18 x 51’, Christian Broadcasting Association for NewstalkZB, up to $40,380
Comedy Gala And Last Laughs 2024, 3 x 44’, Discovery NZ for Three, up to $213,525
Dadolescence, 6 x 22’, Ravenous for TVNZ+, up to $549,446.40
David Lomas Investigates 4, 12 x 44’, Warner Bros. Int. TV Production NZ for Three, up to $1629,444
Down For Love 3, 5 x 44’, Attitude Pictures for TVNZ 2, up to $784,546
Easter 2024, 12 x 54’, Christian Broadcasting Association for Newstalk ZB, up to $32,707
Endangered Species Aotearoa 2, 6 x 44’, Warner Bros. Int. TV Production NZ, up to $1,147,026
Frank 5: Stories From The South, 20 x 12’ Frank Film for YouTube, up to $392,000
Haukāinga 2024, 178 x 5’, Te Reo Irirangi O Te Hiku O Te Ika (Inc) for Te Reo Irirangi O Te Hiku O Te Ika, up to $300,000
Heavyweight With Dave Letele 2, 2 x 45’, Heavyweight Media for TVNZ 2, up to $551,803.20
Kea Kids News 2024, 80 x 4’, Luke Nola & Friends for NZ Herald, up to $700,321
Kids Don't Come With A Manual 2, 6 x 25’, Faultline Films for Whakaata Māori, up to $589,163
Loading Docs: Attention, Te Kimihanga, Te Hahaunga, 6 x 10’, Notable Pictures for LoadingDocs.Net, up to $215,000
Mata 2, 24 x 30’, Aotearoa Media Collective for RNZ, up to $435,020
Newshub Nation 2024, 40 x 60’, Discovery NZ for Three, up to $999,103
Newsroom Investigates 2024, 14 x 30’, Newsroom NZ for Newsroom NZ, up to $364,918
No Such Thing As Normal 2, 13 x 40’, Team Uniform for NZ Herald, up to $99,985
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, 11 x 4513’, TVNZ for TVNZ, up to $500,000
Q + A With Jack Tame 2024, 40 x 58’, TVNZ for TVNZ 1, up to $842,210
Rural Delivery 2024, 8 x 23’, Showdown Productions for TVNZ 1, up to $261,000
Tagata Pasifika 2024, 52 x 23’, Sunpix for TVNZ 1, up to $2,019,190
Te Whatu O Poutini, 1 x 70’, Kapu Ti Productions for Whakaata Māori, up to $483,998
The Choir Games, 4 x 44’, Spacific Films for Sky Open, up to $690,000
The Detail 2024, 312 x 20’ Newsroom NZ for Newsroom NZ, up to $530,012
The Fangirl Revolution, 6 x 20’, Mooncake for RE:, up to $692,750
The Good Sex Project 2, 12 x 52’, Marama Media (T/A Popsock Media) for Stuff, up to $224,996
The Hui 2024, 40 x 28’, Great Southern Television for Three, up to $788,117
The Nutters Club 2024, 48 x 90’, I Am Hope Foundation for Newstalk ZB, up to $85,460
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes 2, 4 x 44’, Great Southern Television for Three, up to $763,582
The South Today 2024, 237 x 20’, Allied Press for Allied Press, up to $450,000
We’ve Always Been Here, 6 x 22’, Stella Maris Production for TVNZ+, up to $611,491
Woofington's, 6 x 45’, RE: for RE:, up to $191,991
Capability
National Secondary Schools Songwriting Comp 2023, Play It Strange Trust, up to $40,000
Aho Wānanga, Nga Aho Whakaari, up to $60,000
Capability – Professional Development
CAMA Te Tiriti Upskilling, Community Access Media Alliance (CAMA), up to $4,500
Doc Edge Industry 2024, The Documentary New Zealand Trust, up to $35,000
Kōpere Ake, NZ Writers Guild Puni Taatuhi O Aotearoa, up to $136,500
Niu Waves 2024, Pacific Islands Screen Artists, up to $135,742
Writers' Room: A Seat At The Table, Pan-Asian Screen Collective Inc, up to $83,270
Discoverability
Aotearoa Music Awards 2024, RecordedMusic.co.nz, up to $60,000
New Music Development
Abby Wolfe, Awol Collective, up to $6,000
Alex Corbett , Alex Corbett, up to $6,000
Alex Twidle, Alex Twidle, up to $6,000
Ammp, Ammp, up to $6,000
Andrew Meyer, Andrew Meyer, up to $6,000
Emily C. Browning, Emily C Browning, up to $6,000
Ethan Jupe, Ethan Jupe, up to $6,000
Jesse Sheehan, Jesse Sheehan, up to $6,000
Joel Tashkoff P/K/A Choicevaughan, In Rhythm From Deep, up to $6,000
Jol Mulholland, Jol Mulholland, up to $6,000
Mitch French, Mitch French, up to $6,000
Nathan Sowter (Link Flamingo), Nathan Sowter, up to $6,000
Phodiso, Phodiso Dintwe, up to $6,000
Sam V, Sam Verlinden (T/A Y$O), up to $6,000
Steve Fowler, Cannon Hill Studios Ta Orchestrated Audio Services, up to $6,000
Music Features
Coup De Main NZ On Air Music Features 2024, Coup De Main, up to $20,000
Intros 2024, Nahla And Nala, up to $99,100
Mai Backyard Beats 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $50,000
More FM Wired 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $50,000
Most FM Kiwiana 2024, Taranaki FM Trust (The Most FM), up to $20,000
Most FM Making Tracks 2024, Taranaki FM Trust (The Most FM), up to $20,000
Most FM Under The Mic 2024, Taranaki FM Trust (The Most FM), up to $20,000
NZME Locals Only 2024, NZME. Radio, up to $300,000
Pulzar Fresh Anthemz 2024, Dew Oh Holdings T/A Pulzar FM, up to $10,000
Pulzar Grid City Grooves 2024, Dew Oh Holdings T/A Pulzar FM, up to $20,000
Pulzar NZelectronica 2024, Dew Oh Holdings T/A Pulzar FM, up to $20,000
Rova Kiwi Discovery Stations 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $20,000
Smokefree Rockquest & Smokefree Tangata Beats 2024, Rockquest Promotions, up to $100,000
SOUNZ Films 2024, Centre For New Zealand Music Trust (SOUNZ), up to $135,000
The Edge Uncover Discover 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $60,000
The George FM Profile 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $30,000
The Rock Kiwi Rock Soundcheck 2024, Mediaworks Radio, up to $50,000
Under The Radar Feature Projects 2024, Model Media T/A Undertheradar, up to $82,500
New Music Pasifika
A.R.T - When He Was Mine, Ikon Music T/A Musika Malie, up to $10,000
Bkidd - Smile Feat. Dei Hamo, Bkidd Music T/A Ravi Jayruth, up to $10,000
Blsd One - Less Fortunate, Blsd One, up to $10,000
Ch!Ef - Love You Like I Should, Harder Music Group, up to $10,000
Elena – Mood, Edyonthebeat, up to $10,000
Haanz Fa'Avae Jackson – Mavehe, Island Vibes, up to $10,000
Hales - Look Up, Edyonthebeat, up to $10,000
Kenzie From Welly – Queendom, Kenzie Parker, up to $10,000
La Coco - Closer To Mine, Latoia Sasa-Tepania T/A La Coco, up to $10,000
Lehali – Company, Rosalie Norton, up to $10,000
Lucky Lance - Moana Mantra's, Lance Fepuleai, up to $10,000
Ozki – Fuefuesisina, Ozki Band, up to $10,000
Pati Af – Acceptance, Sapati Apa-Fepulea'I, up to $10,000
Siavani Feat. Lively - Love Look Easy, Groovehouse Music, up to $10,000
Sire – Temporary, Precise Digital, up to $10,000
Stanley T - Home With Me, Royalty Music Group, up to $10,000
Tyrun - Do It, Tyrun, up to $10,000
Unity Pacific - Everybody In, Tommy Nee Nee, up to $10,000
Village90 - U&Me, August Avenue, up to $10,000
Wayno - Week End, Wayne Laai, up to $10,000
New Music Projects
Aidan Fine - Debut LP, Lorraine Barry Music Management, up to $39,900
Balu Brigada - Slides EP, Amy Goldsmith T/A Goldie Management, up to $40,000
Canaan Ene - Canaan Ene And Friends Vol I LP, Canaan Ene (T/A Canaan Ene Creative Services), up to $40,000
David Dallas - Vita LP, Mean As Music, up to $30,000
Deva Mahal - Future Classic Vol Ii - Future Ep, Deva Mahal, up to $40,000
Harper Finn - Debut LP, Warner Music New Zealand, up to $40,000
Jon Toogood - Debut LP, Warner Music New Zealand, up to $40,000
Kiki Rockwell-Eldest Daughter Of Eldest Daughter, Kiki Rockwell, up to $40,000
Lawrence Arabia - 2024 LP, Honorary Bedouin Records, up to $40,000
Pickle Darling - Battlebots LP, Pickle Darling, up to $23,936
Rei - Moisturise And Decolonise LP, Kogchief, up to $40,000
Stan Walker - I Am EP, Aki Aki Management, up to $40,000
Vera Ellen - Future Surfing LP, Flying Nun Records, up to $30,000
New Music Singles
Abby Christo - Just A Broken Heart, Abby Christodoulou, up to $10,000
Adam Hattaway And The Haunters - High Horse, Adam Hattaway & The Haunters, up to $10,000
Albert Street - My Way, Albert Street, up to $10,000
Benjamin & Nwak - Tell Me, Benjamin & Nwak, up to $10,000
Blake - Worst Critic, Sarah Foley, up to $10,000
Bradamon Band – Working, Reece Campbell & Lion Rez, up to $10,000
Ch! Nonso - My Own, Emmanuel Chinonso Nwachukwu, up to $10,000
Chores - Off My Mind, Chores Music, up to $10,000
Ella Minehan - Read Receipts, Ella Minehan Fitzgerald, up to $10,000
Emwa - Lose Control, Stratton Kapow T/A Twice The Hype, up to $10,000
Fan Club – Westbound, Emma Wagner, Caleb Young, Tilly Wells And Thomas C, up to $10,000
Flaxxies - Liquid Gold, Flaxxies, up to $10,000
Georgia Gets By -When All You Can Manage Is A Sigh, Broods Live, up to $10,000
Half Hexagon - The Method, Honorary Bedouin Records, up to $10,000
Hans. – Ps, Hans, up to $10,000
Induna – Diva, Tyson Nemukula (T/A) Induna, up to $10,000
Jack Panther – Changes, Jack Panther, up to $10,000
Jujulipps - Special!, Full Circuit T/A Big Pop Records, up to $10,000
Junus Orca & Jaz Paterson - Body Electric, Jaz Paterson, up to $10,000
Kirsten Morrell – Buddha, Kirsten Morrell, up to $10,000
Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields - No Trace, Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields, up to $10,000
Nouri – Sorry, The Lonours Club, up to $10,000
Office Dog - In Tact, Flying Nun Records, up to $10,000
Ponz - Back In Time, Lauren Ashleigh Pondes, up to $10,000
Ray Leslie Feat. Awggey - The Fridge All Stocked, Ray Leslie, up to $10,000
Repairs - Map, Territory, Marie Gaabucayan, up to $10,000
Sire - On My Mind, Isaiah Fa'Amoe, up to $10,000
Thomston – Politician, Thomas Stoneman, up to $10,000
Vince Harder Feat Kings – Mamacita, Harder Music Group Pty, up to $10,000
Volts - This All Ends Tonight, RMS, up to $10,000
Wet Denim - Stuck With You, Video Content And Promotion Only, up to $10,000
Wiri Donna - The Gold, Bianca Bailey, up to $10,000
YahYah – Run, August Avenue, up to $10,000
Young Gho$T & Unwell - Up All Evening, Casper De Wit T/A Ghost Media, up to $10,000