Responding to the Covid-19 lockdown
With the entire country back to Level 4 lockdown our thoughts are with everyone who’s dealing with cancelled plans including screen and music productions shut down at short notice.
A shout out also to our media partners who, as always, are doing a sterling job of keeping New Zealanders informed, entertained and connected through these challenging times.
We’ve done this before – we can get through this. Please read the following for guidance on what assistance is available.
Screen Production Recovery Fund
We worked with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage prior to the start of this Financial Year to ensure there would continue to be some contingency for relief funding to be available in the event of further alert level changes.
A maximum of $1million has been set aside for this purpose up until December 31 this year. A few keys points to note on this funding:
- Applicants can only apply for additional costs that are explicitly attributable to a change in the New Zealand COVID-19 alert level status.
- The funding may only be used to support individual New Zealand-based screen productions.
- Productions must be receiving funding from NZ On Air and must not be included in the Screen Sector Indemnity Scheme.
- The funding can cover things like close down and set up costs, travel costs and additional interest payments
If you need to access this funding please read the Eligibility Criteria first.
You should be looking to access other support available more generally for businesses impacted by the alert level changes first and using your contingency (if any). Please read the update from Screensafe on other support available. You can also read the government announcement on the business support available here.
We are here to help
NZ On Air staff are well equipped to work from home – we remain available to all stakeholders by email and phone. Please first check our website for updates here and if you can’t find the information you need you can find staff contacts in the Meet the team section.
We’ll be keeping in touch via newsletter updates and carrying on with assessing applications to the latest rounds.
Let’s crush this outbreak by following the official advice so we can all get back to doing what we do so well. Kia kaha.