It’s a fact: local factual screen content is in more places than ever before
Audiences who love documentaries and other factual content can now enjoy compelling New Zealand stories in more
places than ever before.
NZ On Air’s NZ Media Fund, which came into being on 1 July this year, invests in public media for many audiences on a
range of platforms. The first funding round has just been decided, the first time NZ On Air has considered television,
radio and online projects on a level playing field.
Factual content supported in this round covers topics as diverse as popular music, history, politics, health, natural
history, te ao Māori and stories from the fringes of society.
“We considered 50 applications for factual content funding, covering a very wide range of ideas, audiences and
platforms. Of these just over half, from 25 different production companies, were successful. The successful projects all
contribute to our objectives of quality, diverse, discoverable content. The unsuccessful projects include some excellent
but under-developed ideas that may get across the line in the future,” said NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson.
“There are never enough funds to do everything we’d like to do so the bar is high. What we have achieved in this first
NZMF round is a good balance between high investment mainstream content, most of which will also sell internationally,
and lower investment content for clearly targeted audiences,” said Ms Wrightson.
Content supported in this round will be available on a variety of mainstream and specialist platforms.
Details of the Factual projects funded in the July round are here on our website.