Contemporary history, music, culture, architecture, and cancer are just some of the many subjects to be explored in 18 new and eight returning informative documentaries green lit in NZ On Air’s funding round this week.
Important recent historical events will be examined such as in When A City Rises – The People’s Story, which is a follow up to When A City Falls, and marks the 10th anniversary of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. A podcast series on Stuff Once A Panther will tell the stories of the six Polynesian men who established the Polynesian Panther Party in 1970s New Zealand. And Black Magic, revisits the story of the humble America’s Cup heroes who took New Zealand to the world stage.
Contemporary history is also revealed by the everyday objects around us in The Single Object, and we find out how much the gang landscape has changed in recent times in The Gangs... 12 Years Later.
Our vibrant music scene features in several new content pieces, including features on Scribe, and his rise, fall and plan to rise again, the band KATCHAFIRE’s intimate, humorous story is captured in Legacy, and Loko, uncovers the incredible redemption story of NZ Hip Hop artist KD Lok, aka Matty Paparoa.
Issues of masculinity within our culture are explored in Match Fit, a series that uses the vehicle of rugby to explore some of the biggest issues for Aotearoa’s male population and in Waitangi General we learn about life on the Chatham Islands through the window of the local general store.
Outstanding architecture traversing a range of prices is discussed in Designing Dreams, while the shocking state of some of our apartment blocks is the topic of A Living Hell: Apartment Disasters.
The inspiring story of David Downs whose terminal cancer was cured with immunotherapy is told in Lease On Life, and docu-drama Project Brave will explore New Zealand's resilience in a world of escalating future threats.
Popular returning prime time series include the perennial Country Calendar, and I Am…also returns with six New Zealanders sharing their emotional first-hand accounts of what it means to be different. The indomitable David Lomas continues to solve family mysteries in David Lomas Investigates, and Patrick Gower On… is back with two new topics to explore, while the Stuff Circuit investigation team continues to probe issues of importance to New Zealanders.
“We love that New Zealand audiences are lucky enough to have such a wide range of quality stories made for them, recording and mining the depths of our country and ourselves,” says NZ On Air Head of Funding Amie Mills.
The projects supported in this round will account for up to 550 jobs over the coming months on productions, contributing to the revitalisation of the sector following the Covid-19 lockdown.
Funding details:
New
Match Fit, 4 x 44 mins, Pango Productions for Three, up to $1,072,490 + Platform contribution relief of $198,000*. A documentary series that uses the vehicle of rugby to explore some of the biggest issues for Aotearoa’s male population.
Project Brave, 3 x 44 mins, Storymaker for Prime, up to $877,300 + Platform contribution relief of $72,000*. A docudrama that explores New Zealand's resilience in a world of escalating future threats.
A Question Of Justice, 4 x 45 mins, Red Sky Film & Television for Prime, up to $840,970 + platform contribution relief of $96,000*. A team of seven investigators take a case study approach to examining four major justice issues within New Zealand.
Designing Dreams, 6 x 44 mins, Imagination Television for Prime, up to $750,284 + Platform contribution relief of $96,000*. Top architects visit New Zealand's most exceptional homes and discuss the future for New Zealand housing
Black Magic, 1 x 65 mins, Rogue Productions for TVNZ 1, up to $422,580 + Platform contribution relief of $78,000*. The story of the humble heroes who took New Zealand to the world stage with the biggest homecoming parade the country has ever seen.
Scribe – The Return of the Crusader, 8 x 12 mins, TheDownlowconcept for TVNZ OnDemand, up to $464,312 + Platform contribution relief of $41,272*. Fame, money, drugs, domestic abuse, mental illness, prison, rehab. Scribe has been through it all. Now he's clean, working on a comeback album and ready to stand up.
Waitangi General, 7 x 26 mins, Black Iris for Māori Television, up to $374,850. A documentary series about life in the Chatham Islands’, told through the lens of the local general store.
The Gangs…12 Years Later, 2 x 45 mins, SunPix for Three, up to $311,832 + Platform contribution relief of $88,000*. An examination of how much the gang landscape has changed since 2008, when journalist Pam Corkery investigated local gangs and their impact on New Zealand society.
The Collective, 8 x 10 mins, Boxed Media for RNZ, up to $264,274. A docuseries following the triumphs and the hardships of five rangatahi as they work toward the performance of a lifetime.
Lease On Life, 1 x 44 mins, Occasional Productions for Prime, up to $232,880 + Platform contribution relief of $12,500*. The story of David Downs whose terminal cancer was cured by immunotherapy, and who is now helping others struggling with the disease.
The Single Object, 5 x 7 mins, Hexwork Productions for The Spinoff, up to $187,833. A series that tells stories about New Zealand culture, through examining the everyday objects that surround us.
A Living Hell: Apartment Disasters, 1 x 44 mins, E2 Productions for Prime, up to $179,133 + Platform contribution relief of $16,000*. This investigation lifts the lid on one of New Zealand's worst building disasters, the shocking state of our apartment blocks.
Legacy, 1 x 52 mins, Brave Star Media for Māori Television, up to $153,000. An intimate, observational and at times humorous toe-tapping portrait of the band KATCHAFIRE.
Loko, 5 x 12 mins, Useful Media for NZ Herald, up to $142,469 + Platform contribution relief of $6,420*. The rise and fall and subsequent redemption of NZ Hip Hop artist KD Lok, aka Matty Paparoa.
One For the Boys: Modern Day Masculinity in Aotearoa, 5 x 15 mins, Re: for Re:, up to $133,143 + Platform contribution relief of $60,768*. A frank, accessible, non-judgmental look into what it means to be a man in modern day Aotearoa.
When A City Rises – The People’s Story, 1 x 66 mins, Frank Film for TVNZ 1, up to $67,580 + Platform contribution relief of $66,000*. A follow up to When A City Falls, this documentary will mark the 10th anniversary of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Once A Panther, 6 x 50 mins, Stuff for Stuff, up to $22,522 + Platform contribution relief of $89,230*. The true stories of the six Polynesian men who established the Polynesian Panther Party in 1970s New Zealand.
Returning
David Lomas Investigates 2, 12 x 44 mins, Warner Bros. NZ for Three, up to $1,100,818 + Platform contribution relief of $198,000*. Journalist David Lomas travels the country to solve diverse and complex New Zealand mysteries, reuniting people and discovering lost family heritage.
I Am…3, 6 x 44 mins, Screentime NZ for TVNZ 1, up to $770,236 + Platform contribution relief of $288,000*. Six New Zealanders share their emotional first-hand accounts of what it means to be different.
Country Calendar 2021, 40 x 23 mins, TVNZ for TVNZ 1, up to $573,537 + Platform contribution relief of $472,648* A documentary series that profiles New Zealanders who make their living from the land or sea.
NZ Wars: The Stories of Waikato, 1 x 45 mins, Great Southern Television for RNZ, up to $484,922. The next chapter in the award-winning NZ Wars documentary series.
Patrick Gower On….2 (additional eps), 2 x 44 mins, Ruckus Media for Three, up to $447,124 + Platform contribution relief of $58,000*. These additional episodes will look at the climate crisis and New Zealand's binge drinking culture.
Circuit 2, 2 x 30 mins, Stuff for Stuff, up to $214,000 + Platform contribution relief of $188,760* Investigative documentaries that promise to probe, analyse and uncover an issue of vital importance to New Zealand Society.
New Zealand Music Awards 2020, 1 x 88 mins + 1 x 88 mins, Mediaworks TV for Three and The Edge, up to $213,860 + Platform contribution relief of $31,520*. Coverage from Spark Arena and packed with loads of your favourite artists, this is a night to celebrate Aotearoa’s local music successes.
Matangireia 2, 16 x 45 mins + 16 x 27 mins, Aotearoa Media Collective for RNZ and Māori Television, up to $198,000. A second series of conversations that explore the political legacies of former Māori MPs.
*Qualifying platforms are able to access a one-off Covid relief fund that allows the platform contribution to be reduced by 80%. The above figures show how much funding has been accessed by each project.