This month we will be conducting a ‘check-in’ on the changes made to the domestic component of the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate (NZSPR-NZ), one year after these changes were introduced.

During the ‘check-in’ we want to hear the views and experiences of domestic rebate users and applicants. We want to understand how the changes introduced in July 2023 at the conclusion of the Review of Government Investment in the Screen Sector are working in practice. This process was signalled when changes were announced and is designed to make sure that the Rebate continues to incentivise high-value screen productions that provide economic and cultural benefits to New Zealand.

Review of Government investment in the screen sector

The ‘check-in’ will consist of an online survey that will focus on the impacts of the specific changes made in 2023. It will include questions about whether the changes are delivering as intended.

The survey will be open for a month from late August 2024 and will be hosted on the Manatū Taonga website. The survey will include questions on the below changes:

• Allowing access to all types of screen production to access both the NZSPR-NZ and other Government production funding (for instance via NZ On Air and Te Māngai Paho).
• Capping the amount of ‘above-the-line’ expenditure that can qualify for the NZSPR-NZ, subject to an ‘exceptional circumstances’ discretion.
• Allowing investment from entities related to the applicant production company to qualify as ‘market attachments’, provided the entities operate truly independently.
• Allowing interim NZSPR payments if specific criteria are met, to help minimise productions’ interest costs.

We will not be seeking feedback on the wider review or other areas of the NZSPR. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) will be conducting a separate process later in the year to check in on the impacts of changes made to the international component of the rebate.

The feedback collected through the survey will form part of our analysis and advice to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage on the success of the changes, and any tweaks or other actions that may be required.

We will update our website with further information about the check-in in the coming weeks, and look forward to hearing people's experiences with the domestic screen rebate.

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