Francesca Rudkin: The Government’s changes to the Screen Rebate Scheme are a good start

It was really good on Friday to see the Government respond to the film industry’s call for help to remain globally competitive.   We’re a country full of talented, skilled, creative, innovative, hard-working people, who have created a vibrant and reputable screen industry. It’s a well-established sector which provides professional services from pre-production and shooting through to post-production. It employs 24,000 people, and contributes $3.5 billion to the economy each year.   Regardless of whether you love movies and TV shows, or care where they’re made, we should all be proud of this export industry, what it has produced, and how well it is regarded on the world stage.   It would be crazy not to protect and grow it.   The reality for the screen industry is that the work can fluctuate - being overrun with productions for a few years, then have a year when very little happens. So whatever we can do to make New Zealand a consistently attractive destination is vital.   The Government’s changes to the Screen Rebate Scheme kick off from 1 January, and are a good start to keeping us in the game.   The plan is to lower the minimum qualifying spend to access the rebate for feature films from $15 million to $4 million and to reduce the threshold for the ‘5 percent uplift’ from $30 million to $20 million, allowing more mid-budget productions to qualify for the additional incentive which takes the rebate to 25 percent. It will also expand the eligibility for the 5 percent uplift to include post-production, digital and visual effects only projects - this makes a lot of sense, we are world renowned in this field. And finally, to remove the cap on above-the-line costs such as director, producer, principal cast, and screenwriter fees, aligning with international practice. It's all possibly a bit late - we still lag the rest of the world who are also actively trying to remain competitive - Australia has increased their rebate to 40 percent, Ireland is at 32 percent, the UK 29 percent, and Canada is up to 29 percent. But it is a pragmatic step in the right direction, and it’s good to see the Government taking action to create a more competitive and sustainable industry which employs Kiwis, generates business and adds to economic growth.   Every dollar invested through the rebate delivers around $2.40 in return to the wider economy - through wages, services and international exposure. International productions also employ the majority of screen workers in New Zealand.   It’s been a tough year for many in who work in the screen industry. For the world’s big players who are looking to potentially bring projects to New Zealand, this is hopefully the nudge they need to commit.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.