Government Announces Delta Support For Screen And Wider Arts & Culture Sectors

Te Tumu Whakaata New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) welcomes the $37.5 million in Delta support for the arts and culture sector announced today by Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage (MCH), Hon. Carmel Sepuloni.

As part of the support package, the NZFC has been awarded $1 million for a Screen Production Emergency Relief Fund to support productions in extraordinary circumstances avoid abandonment where the Screen Production Recovery Fund or indemnity has not been sufficient to manage the costs of COVID-19 Alert Level restrictions in place from 17 August 2021.

This fund will be open to NZFC-funded and NZSPG-New Zealand productions that have been shut down, delayed or otherwise impacted by the August 2021 COVID-19 lockdown, and is a fund of last resort to prevent abandonment once all other funding sources have been exhausted.

The support package also includes an extension to the NZFC’s Screen Production Recovery Fund until at least 30 June 2022.

“The latest COVID-19 restrictions have had a significant impact on the screen industry,” says NZFC CEO, David Strong. “The uncertainty around how long restrictions may be in place, and what each level allows, has made completing projects and forward planning a challenge for many in the sector. We are grateful to the government for recognising this and developing a range of funding opportunities to assist our industry alongside the wider arts and culture sector.”

A time-limited Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund of up to $5 million will be administered by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Arts, Culture and Heritage to support organisations at imminent risk of failure. This fund will open on 1 October with details to be published on the Manatū Taonga website.

Up to $22.5 million will be made available for a proposed Future Events Resilience Fund to give the arts and culture sector confidence to plan and host performances and events over the coming months while COVID-19 restrictions may have an impact. Further information and criteria for this fund will be made available by Manatū Taonga in November.

The funds for this support package are sourced from uncommitted funding from the existing COVID-19 Arts and Culture Recovery Programme announced in 2020.

The NZFC continues to work closely with Manatū Taonga and representatives from Creative New Zealand, New Zealand Music Commission, Te Papa and NZ On Air to further develop the support package to ensure it supports the sector’s current and future needs.

Further information and guidelines for the Screen Production Emergency Relief Fund will be available soon.

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