Irene Gardiner: Screen Production and Development Association President on Netflix's seeming lack of interest in the NZ Screen industry

There's a view Netflix isn't paying enough attention to New Zealand's screen industry. 

The movie and TV streaming corporation is setting up an office in Sydney to take care of Australia and New Zealand. 

So far, the content and commissioning has been heavily based across the ditch. 

Screen Production and Development Association President Irene Gardiner told Mike Hosking that some international productions have been shot in New Zealand, and they’ve bought the odd pre-existing show, when it comes to commissioning a local production they’ve had nothing but silence. 

She says that commissioning gives us intellectual property and export dollars - which is good for our economy. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Little bit of banks around the place over the opening.
Netflix has opened to what they're calling in Australia and
New Zealand office. Turns out it's probably more Australia than
it is New Zealand. Our local office really just sort
of an Australian office when it comes to local production.
Are we a little bit out of luck? Have they
forgotten about us? As the question being asked, the president
of the Screen Production and Development Association are in gardners
with us? How are you, Irene?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm very well, thank you mate.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Were you guys cognizant that Netflix were going to come?
Do they sort of you know, say hey, where we're coming,
we're opening, we want to do business. Do you need
will they just sort of turn up, Well.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
They actually started having an Australian office a little while ago,
just you know, fairly quietly. It was suddenly Netflix Australia
New Zealand. It's been in the media a lot lately
because they've launched the big Australian series Territory, and so
there's been quite a lot of media coverage. And you
know it's Netflix A and Z this and Netflix A
and zaid there, and I'd have to say some of

(00:56):
Spada's producer members have kind of gone but the NZ.
But is that Netflix, because you know, obviously over the
years Netflix, you know international productions, some Netflix International productions
have shot in New Zealand, which is great for them ourustry,
and they've even bought the odd existing New Zealand show

(01:18):
like The Casketeers. But in terms of actually commissioning a
local production, which is of course what gives us intellectual
property and export dollar and is the bit that's actually
good for our economy. Not to mention cultural ast, but
just nothing, just silence. It's like, yes, we're netflx AMZ,
but and occasionally are even to the same things like,

(01:39):
oh but it's a nice place to shoot, But we're
not just a nice place to shoot. That's you know
that we're not service center for the film. We actually
make really good shows. Many of are just screenning all
around the world on other platform We know.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
That, and is that up to them to do something
about it or is it up to us to do
something about it and get in their ear?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's a little bit all of those things. They will
know and it's probably slightly embarrassed, and they also know
that we the producers Guild have been lobbying for the
international streamers to have to contribute to the news deal
Unscreen ecosystem in somewhere because they've you know, they've broken
the model. They've they've ruined the commercial revenue advertising model.
It's making it really hard for us to make local

(02:24):
shows and they know that. And there's lots of territories
where they're being regulated, they're paying a levee whatever, and
so we've been asking government, you know, you get can
you regulate them, Can they pay a levy, can they
have a quote whatever? A levee would probably be simplest
for New Zealand, but it would at least often the
blow while we sort of work through all of those things.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
And there is the goverment remotely interested in any of that,
because that whole you know, the digital build thing doesn't
seem to be on the in front of their radio way.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
That's the journalism. But we're slightly different than that.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
And all I'm saying is they don't seem overly keen
on that. Are they keen on your idea or not?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Really, We've had good indications it's certainly being looked at,
it's being worked on. It's just that regulation takes ages,
and we're in a pretty tough spot in the meantime.
So I guess what we're saying is, you know, you're
a big commercial entergy. You're not under any obligation currently,
you have no regulation. But you know, if you going

(03:19):
to call yourself Netflix a n Z, could we have
some of the.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Zen question it's not fair? Well, then I appreciate it
very much. Ire In Gardner, who is with Spartan The
spart of Prison. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast,
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