New Zealand has a vibrant and internationally recognised screen production industry, supported by a combination of public funding bodies, gaming trusts, community trusts, and private investment. Screen grants fund the development and production of feature films, documentaries, short films, television series, and digital content — supporting both commercial screen production and cultural screen storytelling.
NZ On Air is the primary public funder of New Zealand screen content — television programmes, digital content, and audio content — with a mandate to reflect New Zealand culture and identity. Its contestable funding includes scripted drama, factual television, Māori-language content, Pacific content, and digital-first projects.
Te Māngai Pāho funds te reo Māori language broadcasting and screen content, supporting Māori-language programmes across broadcast and digital platforms. A significant funder of Māori screen storytelling.
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) supports New Zealand feature films, short films, and screen industry development. Funding includes development grants, production funding, and international co-production support.
Creative New Zealand funds screen projects with a cultural and arts dimension — artist-led screen work, screen-based art, and screen projects connected to other art forms.
Gaming trusts and community trusts fund screen projects with community benefit — community-focused documentaries, film festivals, community media projects, and screen education programmes.
Screen Auckland and regional screen offices provide production support funding for screen projects shooting in their regions.
Development, production, and distribution stages. Screen projects move through distinct phases, each of which may attract separate funding. Development funding supports script development, research, and pre-production. Production funding covers the making of the project. Post-production and distribution funding supports completion and reaching audiences. Grants management for screen projects needs to track projects across multiple phases, which may involve different funders and grant agreements.
Complex budget structures. Screen production budgets are detailed and specialist — above-the-line costs (key creative talent), below-the-line costs (crew and facilities), post-production, marketing. Assessing screen production budgets requires specialist knowledge or specialist advisors.
Co-production and co-funding. Screen projects typically involve co-investment from multiple sources — NZ On Air, NZFC, private investors, distributor advances, and talent deferrals. Understanding a project's full financing plan is important for any single funder's assessment.
Creative assessment requirements. Assessing screen applications involves evaluating the creative concept, the script or treatment, the talent attached, and the track record of the production company. This requires assessors with screen industry expertise — creative professionals, not just administrators.
IP and distribution rights. Screen grant agreements need to address intellectual property ownership, broadcast and distribution rights, and what rights the funder has to use content for promotional purposes. Screen IP is commercially valuable and often complex.
Format and platform diversity. Screen production increasingly spans broadcast television, streaming platforms, cinema, social media, and festival circuits. Grant criteria and assessment need to account for this diversity — what constitutes "completion" and "successful distribution" varies significantly across formats.
Screen funding for Māori and Pacific content involves specific considerations:
Te Māngai Pāho funding is specifically targeted at te reo Māori content — grant management needs to track language hours, te reo standards, and broadcast or digital transmission requirements.
Tikanga-appropriate production. Māori screen projects may involve tapu content, wāhi tapu locations, and cultural protocols that require specific grant conditions — about how taonga are treated, who has creative control, and how the content is used.
Pacific screen storytelling. Pacific communities produce a wide range of screen content — from community documentaries to feature films. Funders supporting Pacific screen content need cultural competency in assessment and engagement.
Tahua supports screen and content grantmaking with configurable grant structures, milestone tracking across production phases, and flexible conditions management.