WIFT members are at it again! $14.1 million* has been committed to Scripted projects in this round with a collection of comedy and children’s animation leading the way from NZ On Air - including two animated series for tamariki with a strong focus on te reo and te ao Māori.
“In a media environment in which local content is under real threat, NZ On Air’s goal with this round was to ensure quality local content continues to be available for the audiences of Aotearoa, reflecting our identity through many diverse stories,” says NZ On Air Acting Co-Head of Funding, Kelly Davis.
And, returning for a seventh season is Ahikāroa 7 for MĀORI+, Whakaata Māori and TVNZ+, a bilingual Māori web drama series for rangitahi which won the Melbourne Webfest 2023 award for best ‘first nations’ series.
Also for tamariki and scheduled for theatre release in November this year is Moana 2 Te Reo Māori, a te reo version of the second in the successful Disney film franchise, Moana.
Funding Decisions
Crackhead, 8 x 22’, Warner Bros. International Television Production NZ for viewing on ThreeNow and Three, up to $3,197,306.
Small Town Scandal, 8 x 22’, Little Miss Films for viewing on SkyGo, Sky Open and Neon, up to $2,964,455.
Ahikāroa 7, 20 x 26’, Kura Productions for viewing on MĀORI+, Whakaata Māori and TVNZ+, up to $1,440,000.
Warren’s Vortex, 6 x 23’, Kitchen Table Productions for viewing on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 2, up to $1,227,000.**
Katie’s Kurī, 6 x 8’, Sweetshop & Green NZ for viewing on Sky Open and SkyGo, up to $882,882.
Moana 2 Reo Māori, 1 x 100’, Matewa Media for viewing on Disney+ and local platform TBC, up to $250,000.
It's great to see the support for local stories, and te reo content. We wish all you WIFT members the best in the above endeavours!
*$3m has separately been announced to support Shortland Street.