In August, the New Zealand Government announced that from 12:01am Tuesday 15 August 2023, the remaining COVID-19 public health rules would be lifted. As a result, certain measures like the seven-day mandatory isolation and the requirement to wear face masks when visiting healthcare facilities are no longer required.
In response to these changes in domestic policy, the Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) has revised its COVID-19 Policy for funding, which modified the NZFC’s Terms of Trade and Guidelines.
Effective immediately, the COVID-19 Policy will not be enforced for screen productions seeking funding from the NZFC.
Furthermore, screen productions seeking funding are no longer required to include a COVID-19 Contingency plan. However, productions will still need to manage health and safety protocols. It is also worth noting that COVID-19 continues to be excluded from insurance coverage and completion bond protection. Because of this, the NZFC will continue to accept COVID-related expenses as part of the budgets it approves.
The NZFC retains the right to re-introduce a COVID-19 policy in the event the NZ Government reinstates COVID-19 public health requirements that directly impact production.
If you have any questions about how COVID-19 might affect your production, please feel free to reach out via investment@nzfilm.co.nz.