Strengthening New Zealand’s international screen production incentives.
New Zealand’s screen production sector has undergone a significant shift in its incentive settings following sustained industry advocacy and engagement with government. The changes, announced in late 2025 and effective from 1 January 2026, address longstanding concerns about the country’s competitiveness as a destination for international productions.
This advocacy has been driven by a broad network of industry participants working to ensure New Zealand remains a viable and attractive destination for international productions. Over the past two years, Acclime New Zealand has played an active role in these efforts to strengthen the overall operating environment.
New Zealand’s competitive position
In 2023, the New Zealand Government completed its review of the Screen Production Rebate programme, introducing relatively modest changes. Around the same time, the Australian Government announced substantial increases to its own incentives programme, making Australia a more attractive destination for both live action and Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) productions.
Acclime New Zealand had already begun to observe signs of this competitive pressure through its work with international productions. During 2024, the pipeline of international productions coming to New Zealand continued to slow, a concern confirmed through conversations with other participants across the sector.
Industry response and policy engagement
In response to these developments, Acclime authored and circulated a policy paper titled “Sink or Swim? Government Must Deliver More with its Review of New Zealand’s Screen Production Rebate”, sharing it widely across the screen sector and with relevant government ministers.
Following the 2023 general election, a new National-led coalition Government took office with a focus on economic growth and rebuilding momentum across key sectors. In early 2025, after the Government announced its “Going for Growth” initiative and appointed the Hon. Nicola Willis as Minister of Economic Growth, Acclime prepared a second evidence-based paper outlining how strengthening New Zealand’s screen incentive settings could support the country’s wider economic strategy. The paper was submitted to several government ministers, including Minister Willis.
Discussions with a local studio operator and experienced industry advocate led to broader conversations among industry leaders about the value of a unified representative voice for businesses involved in international productions. In mid-2025, 12 industry leaders came together to form Screen NZ International (SNZI), a new membership organisation created to represent and advocate for the international productions business sector.
Acclime joined as a founding member and has supported the establishment of the organisation on a pro bono basis, with Andy Archer and Phil Gore serving as committee members and Phil acting as Executive Financial Officer and Treasurer. One of SNZI’s first initiatives was to survey the wider industry to provide data-based evidence to government and its agencies on the actual state of the international production sector. Acclime was also instrumental in the research and development of policy papers advocating for improvements to New Zealand’s incentive settings, including proposals to reduce the minimum spend threshold required to access the 5% Uplift and to remove the cap on Above The Line expenditures, a limitation that had deterred productions involving high-profile international casts.
SNZI submitted its recommendations to the Government and engaged with officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to support constructive discussions around potential improvements to the programme.
Government changes and their implications
On 7 November 2025, at a media event attended by SNZI’s founding members, Minister Willis announced a series of updates to New Zealand’s screen incentive settings. These included adjustments to production thresholds and the removal of certain limitations that had previously deterred major international productions from considering New Zealand as a filming destination. The Minister acknowledged the contribution of SNZI in informing the Government’s decision-making, recognising the organisation as an important voice for the international productions business sector.
On 19 December 2025, the New Zealand Film Commission released the updated New Zealand Screen Production Rebate (NZSPR) International Productions criteria, confirming the changes and their implementation from 1 January 2026. Since its formation, SNZI has grown rapidly to more than 100 members and continues to provide regular industry updates, events and engagement across the sector, as well as ongoing advocacy with government and opposition parties ahead of the next election cycle.
For Acclime, the experience reflects a simple principle. When industry participants collaborate, share expertise and engage constructively with policymakers, it is possible to help shape outcomes that strengthen both the sector and the broader New Zealand economy.
