Firm Audience Favourites Lead NZ On Air Non-Fiction Funding

Series consistently popular with Aotearoa New Zealand audiences lead the Non-Fiction projects funded in the latest NZ On Air funding round.

Just over $11.5m in funding has been committed to 20 local Non-Fiction projects, three-quarters of those being returning series with a strong audience.

One of those returning series is the wildly successful Taskmaster NZ, for TVNZ+ and TVNZ 2. One of the most popular NZ On Air funded shows, Taskmaster NZ 6 sees Jeremy Wells and his loyal assistant Paul Williams back to torment more of New Zealand’s bravest and brightest comedians.

Also returning is Frank: Stories from the South 3, a documentary series for the NZ Herald and Allied Press which explores public media stories of national interest from a distinctly South Island perspective.

A new project from the ever-popular David Lomas for ThreeNow and Three has been supported. Breakthrough with David Lomas will profile people with questions about their families’ pasts and with a focus on stories that expose aspects of New Zealand’s political and social history.

Also taking on complex themes is Use My Name, a series for NZ Herald, TP+ and E-Tangata that centres on the stories of six sexual violence survivors who are challenging cultural norms and driving change in New Zealand.

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing is Rainbow Warrior – A Forgotten History. This podcast series for the NZ Herald looks back at the 1985 event and examines New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance and the impact it had internationally, both then and today.

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In this Non-Fiction round, eight journalism projects have received funding. After the Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF) concluded in June 2023, NZ On Air funding reverted to the funding levels in place prior to the PIJF.

“It has been a challenging year for our media environment and, unsurprisingly, we were inundated with applications into this Non-Fiction round,” says NZ On Air Acting Co-Head of Funding, Kelly Davis. “The projects that have been funded reach and resonate with consistently large audiences across the motu.”

Among those journalism projects, the inimitable Patrick Gower has been supported for Paddy Gower Has Issues for ThreeNow, Three, Stuff, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. In this series, Gower takes his successful format and delves into the issues bugging him and 'average Kiwis' around the country, this time with a particular focus on consumer affairs and current issues.

Previously funded through the PIJF, Open Justice, the network of court reporters based at NZME newspapers around the country and producing content for approximately 40 print and online publications, will be jointly funded by NZ On Air and NZME.

“Open Justice is a multi-regional network that produces high quality content with significant public media outcomes,” says Davis. “It was one of the most successful of the PIJF projects, providing content for a large number of platforms and reaching a wide local audience.”

Also returning to our screens are Q&A with Jack Tame, Tagata Pasifika, The Hui and Mata, alongside Haukāinga 2024/25, The Detail and Newsroom Investigates.

Kea Kids News will be back with a seventh run of the popular news series made for tamariki by tamariki, as will The Best Foods Comedy Gala 2025 on ThreeNow and Three, and The Nutters Club on NewstalkZB.

Finally, the ANZAC Dawn Service and National Commemorative Service 2025 on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 1, and Christmas 2024 and Easter 2025 on NewstalkZB have also secured support.

Funding Decisions
Note: All funding commitments are based on the funding applications received and must be contracted within a specified timeframe. Funding is only released, in stages, as contractual commitments are met. Funds committed but not contracted within the specified timeframe are written back and distributed in future funding rounds.

Breakthrough with David Lomas, 8 x 44', Warner Bros International Television Production NZ for viewing on ThreeNow and Three, up to $1,594,000.

Kea Kids News 7, 200 x 3.5', Luke Nola & Friends for viewing on NZ Herald, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, up to $1,568,900.

Tagata Pasifika 2025, 30 x 23', SunPix for viewing on TVNZ 1, TP+, Whakaata Māori and Sky Open, up to $1,250,050.

Paddy Gower Has Issues, 8 x 44’, Believer Media for viewing on ThreeNow, Three, Stuff, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, up to $954,721.

Taskmaster NZ 6, 10 x 44’, Kevin and Co. for TVNZ+ and TVNZ 2, up to $944,306.

Q+A with Jack Tame 2025, 40 x 60' and 1 x 120’, Television New Zealand for viewing on TVNZ+, TVNZ 1, Facebook and YouTube, up to $842,550.

The Hui 10, 40 x 28', Great Southern Television for viewing on Stuff, RNZ, SkyGo, Sky Open, ThreeNow, Three, Māori+, Whakaata Māori, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, up to $788,000.

The Detail 2025, 266 x 20', Newsroom NZ for viewing on Newsroom NZ, RNZ and TVNZ 1, up to $554,997.

Open Justice, NZME for viewing on NZ Herald, NewstalkZB, Whakaata Māori, Top South Media, Allied Press, Star Media, RNZ and Facebook, up to $499,038.

Mata 3, 4 x 30' and 20 x 27’, Aotearoa Media Collective for viewing on RNZ, Access Radio, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, up to $448,010.

Frank: Stories from the South 3, 15 x 8', Frank Film for viewing on NZ Herald and Allied Press, up to $407,006.

Newsroom Investigates 2025, 27 x 25', Newsroom NZ for viewing on Newsroom NZ, up to $400,000.

Haukāinga 2024/25, 50 x 5', 3 x 500’ and 80 x 10’, Te Reo Irirangi O Te Hiku O Te Ika for Whare Kōrero App and iwi radio, up to $300,000.

Use My Name, 6 x 10', One-Legged Seagull for viewing on NZ Herald, TP+ and E-Tangata, up to $259,811.

The Best Foods Comedy Gala 2025, 2 x 44', Warner Bros. Discovery for viewing on ThreeNow and Three, up to $205,268.

Rainbow Warrior - A Forgotten History, 6 x 43' podcast, Bird of Paradise Productions for NZ Herald and NZME, up to $199,810.

ANZAC Dawn Service & National Commemorative Service 2025, 1 x 100', Screentime NZ for viewing on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 1, up to $143,541.

The Nutters Club on NewstalkZB, 48 x 90' radio series and podcast, I Am Hope Foundation for NewstalkZB, up to $85,460.

Christmas 2024, 18 x 51', Christian Broadcasting Association for NewstalkZB, up to $51,835.

Easter 2025, 12 x 54', Christian Broadcasting Association for NewstalkZB, up to $42,875.

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