NZ On Air has invested in a swathe of new local content for primary aged children; most of it will be found on a new online home for children’s content*, a collaboration between NZ On Air and TVNZ.
NZ On Air called for applications to create a range of content types that would engage, entertain and stimulate young minds. The creative community responded with 58 applications seeking just over $28 million in total. Of those 21 projects have been supported. Including programmes for television broadcast, $11.1 million has been allocated to 19 production companies, some new to NZ On Air.
Programmes for television broadcast, both new and returning, are also still supported, ensuring children throughout the country have access in one form or another to content specifically tailored to them. Content for the new online home ranges from games to short-form series on everything from healthy cooking to science, comedy to fantasy adventure, arts and craft to the natural environment.
“Young New Zealanders need to experience stories that reflect their identity. It’s an important part of their cultural development. The new online home will extend the range and availability of quality local content for tamariki with stories they can enjoy on any device,” said NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.
NZ On Air and the Canada Media Fund have also opened a new funding round targeting children’s content that will appeal to audiences online in both countries.
“Young people are leading the move to new content platforms. We are deliberately moving with them to ensure they can always find content that has voices and characters they can relate to,” said Ms Wrightson.
The online home for children’s content is under development and will be up and running in early 2018. It will be named next month after input from children. See here for more info.
Details of the Children’s projects funded in the September round are available below:
September 2017
New Scripted Children's content:
Custard’s World, 26 x 5 mins + 245 mins, Whoa! Productions for the children’s platform, up to $750,033
A rollicking comedy adventure tale for children aged 5-9 yrs featuring puppets and people.
Kai Five, 40 x 5 mins, Pickled Possum Productions for the children’s platform, up to $437,432
A kid-centric cooking show that empowers 5-9 year olds to get creative in the kitchen. Supported also by the Health Promotion Agency.
Jandal Burn, 10 x 5 mins, Mukpuddy for the children’s platform, up to $308,900
An animation comedy series for 7-9 year olds from the makers of Barefoot Bandits.
The Drawing Show, 13 x 4 mins, Mukpuddy for the children’s platform, up to $260,000
An animated series in the style of “how to” videos with the aim of encouraging kids to draw and be creative.
The Vloggingtons, 25 x 1.5 mins, Yoozoo for the children’s platform, up to $209,960
An animated web series and interactive app all about the fun of creating your own funny video clips with friends.
The Green Fairy, 5 x 5 mins, CONICAL Interactive Studios for the children’s platform, up to $200,000
An interactive series running as an Augmented Reality app. Five downloadable episodes can be played back from different angles and include online Vlogs.
Tales From Cardboard City, 10 x 3 mins, Vinewood for the children’s platform, up to $188,200
Adventure stories set entirely in a world created from cardboard by kids in their backyard.
Legendary, 10 x 4 mins, Tikilounge Productions for the children’s platform, up to $175,640
A humorous, animated take on some of the extraordinary legends of the Pacific for 5-9 year old children.
The Barefoot Bandits Water Bomb Battle, game, Mukpuddy for the children’s platform, up to $153,700
A multi-player water fight battle arena game, based on the popular children’s show characters and capturing all the fun of a kids’ water fight.
Gamefroot, game, Gamelab for the children’s platform, up to $129,240
A gaming platform and tools for kids to actively create their own games to tell stories.
Sound4Kids, 26 x 32 mins, Prue Langbein for the children’s platform, up to $123,633
Audio stories and snippets created by and for kids.
Knock Knock, 52 x 0.25 mins, LOUDmouth Productions for the children’s platform, up to $45,500
A spin-off of the funded children’s radio show That’s The Story, children contribute their own ‘knock knock’ jokes which are animated and screened.
NZ Educational Games Suite, game, InGame for the children’s platform, up to $25,000
An update to five popular educational games for children.
Returning Scripted Children's Content:
Cul De Sac 3, 6 x 24 mins, Greenstone TV for TVNZ 2, up to $1,220,591
The third and final instalment of the teen, dystopian drama has dark forces gathering against Rose and her siblings.
Darwin And Newts 2, 40 x 11 mins, Whitebait Productions for TVNZ 2, up to $1,523,177
A second animated series aimed at pre-schoolers that brings science and the natural environment to life, along with an app. Also supported through the Screen Production Grant.
Maia The Brave 2, 20 x 10 mins, Pickled Possum Productions for the children’s platform, up to $495,718
A second series of empowering stories for 3 – 7 year olds, helping them to overcome fears.
New Factual Children's content:
Michelle And The Nanonauts, 21 x 7 mins, Luke Nola And Friends for the children’s platform, up to $498,785
NZ’s ‘nanogirl’ Michelle Dickinson brings kids and science together to explain how things work.
ZooMoo, 400 x 7 mins, NHNZ for the children’s platform, up to $493,940
Bringing the best of the children’s television network back home to New Zealand; specifically targeting kiwi kids by modifying a variety of the most popular series, all connected to the free ZooMoo App.
Riddle + Squizz, 16 x 5 mins, RDYSTDY for the children’s platform, up to $240,857
Real life children’s questions are the basis for creative video montages that encourage enquiry, innovation and critical thinking by 4 – 7 year olds.
Me And George, 12 x 2 mins, Attitude Pictures for the children’s platform, up to $155,655
A series for 5-11 year olds delivering science-based insights to the human body using animation and fun.
Tamariki Takeover, 45 x 3 mins, Blackout Media for the children’s platform, up to $99,000
An un-scripted window into the lives of tamariki all over Aotearoa, showcasing what’s important to them in a fun way.
Hundred99 Little Heroes, 4 x 5 mins, Pukeko Pictures for the children’s platform, up to $45,000
New Zealand stories from children about their unique journey to school, adding to a global project to allow children to share their voice.
Returning Factual Children's Content:
What Now 2018, 40 x 118 mins, Whitebait Productions for TVNZ 2, up to $3,189,000
The popular Sunday morning show for kids heads into its 37th year, both live out on the road around NZ and on the new online children’s platform.
Wild Eyes 2, 10 x 4 mins, POP Film for the children’s platform, up to $173,847
A new set of videos and challenges that aim to get Kiwi kids off screens and engaged in NZ nature, science and the outdoors ... using screens. Originally funded through our Digital Media Fund.