On Covid insurance

being domestic productions.

Butler said the scheme would potentially save up to 1240 jobs.

But Brendon Durey, president of the Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand, said that was ‘‘drawing a pretty long bow’’.

‘‘The Government underwriting a specific level of the Covid-related financial risk to facilitate New Zealand film financing is a good idea, as long as it’s managed effectively,’’ Durey said.

Trying to insure productions was difficult enough without a pandemic. ‘‘New Zealand films struggle ... [without] Covid-related things. They don’t have the budget to self-insure like Netflix or Jeff Bezos.’’

While there had been criticism of taxpayer money being spent on screen incentives, he said the sector created jobs and boosted GDP.

New Zealand’s screen sector supports 14,000 jobs and contributes about $3.5 billion annually to the economy.

Despite unexpected costs, delays and restraints in production, the sector has bounced back from Covid-19, with several productions now in development.

In August, the film commission said it was ‘‘critical’’ a solution be found to the Covid-19 insurance issue for independent screen projects filming in New Zealand.

Jasmin McSweeney, the commission’s head of marketing, said the insurance scheme was welcome news as it meant several productions would commence filming in early 2021.

Sepuloni’s briefing acknowledged there was a level of risk to the Government with the scheme, however that could be managed.

deaths in New Zealand

‘‘They don’t have the budget to self-insure like Netflix or Jeff Bezos.’’

Brendon Durey

Screen Industry Guild of Aotearoa

active cases in New Zealand

global cases of coronavirus