Sigh of relief as film’s value recognised
It’s a busy time for the country’s cultural sector, which has just been given the long-awaited results of a review into our screen rebate schemes.
Because of the amount of money the Government pumps into the rebates, and growing concerns from officials the system was not leading to the best cultural outcomes, the Government embarked on a review of the way the rebates work, with a view to make them better.
Yesterday, the Government announced it was slashing red tape for international productions and making the domestic rebate easier to access for locally made television shows and films. These moves would have seen producers breathe a sigh of relief.
Officials had proposed changes which the industry feared would irreparably inhibit the lucrative sector’s growth.
The art world is also waiting for officials to consider submissions to the Resale Right for Visual Artists Bill, which would see artists paid each time their work is resold on the secondary market, in recognition of the fact that art appreciates in value.
Submitters had a range of questions about the new entity that would oversee and manage the new royalty system, particularly Copyright Licensing NZ, which is widely thought to be the agency that will take on the responsibilities.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s first long-term insights briefing has also been released. The ministry’s chief executive, Laulu Mac Leauanae, presented the briefing to MPs in April but the final report was only released late this month.
The briefings are a new requirement of government departments, and aim to inform the public about the medium and long-term trends for the areas which departments cover, as well as future risks and opportunities.
The five priority areas highlighted in the cultural sector briefing were te ao Māori; funding, investment and value; population change; digital technologies; and climate change.
In developing the briefing, officials found the public wanted to strengthen the resilience of the cultural sector.
After this year’s Budget was announced, renewed calls emerged for a national cultural plan for the sector, such as Australia has, to better co-ordinate the fragmented workforce and help improve artists’ woeful pay rates.
A recent Creative NZ and NZ On Air report found that creatives’ median pay was still well below the minimum wage. That’s despite the art market being particularly buoyant, with several recent multimillion-dollar auctions in the last few years – hence the importance of the royalty scheme.