Last week Statistics New Zealand released the results of its annual Screen Industry Survey (2015/2016), and there's positive news for the screen sector:
� New Zealand's screen industry revenue increased by 3% to $3.3 billion. Film production revenue has more than doubled in the period to more than $1 billion.
� Export revenue has increased by 32% to $678 million. This significant increase has largely been driven by North America and coincides with the introduction of the New Zealand Screen Production Grant, which has attracted a number of productions to New Zealand including Pete's Dragon, The Light Between Oceans, Ash vs Evil Dead, The Shannara Chronicles and Power Rangers.
� Feature-film production and post-production revenue has more than doubled in Wellington, increasing from $289 million to $644 million. Wellington has hosted a number of international productions including Pete's Dragon, Ghost in the Shell and Krampus, along with an increase in PDV work including VFX work on The Jungle Book, The BFG and Deadpool.
� Screen activity in the regions has also increased overall, with Canterbury and the West Coast showing the largest growth in screen businesses at 38%.
� Earnings for screen-sector jobs continue to rise, with the median wage per job or contract up 17%. This points to an increased maturity in the industry and higher productivity.
You can find the full report on the Statistics New Zealand website.