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Kia ora tatou
This edition of the newsletter goes out to you with winter very much here. Our thoughts particularly go to our friends in Christchurch coping with the seriously distressing earthquakes this week. Deputy Chair Murray Shaw and I spent a couple of days last month talking to several groups of our stakeholders there, making sure that NZ On Air is being as helpful as we can. Notwithstanding the pressures, it's really impressive to see Cantabrians getting back on to the airwaves to provide a vital communications channel - and some light relief - to their local audiences . We have been pleased to provide support where we can - possibly the most innovative will be student radio station RDU's ingenious mobile studio: a horse float! Community station Plains FM was able to access its premises at the Christchurch Polytechnic and resume broadcasting (and work on the already-commenced premises upgrade). CTV triumphantly made it back on air with the help of the locals and Maori Television, which is screening its programmes during downtime until the Rugby World Cup. Radio New Zealand has found temporary premises and expects to be there for around a year, also moving the Sound Archives. TVNZ and the various commercial radio stations are also safely relocated. NZ On Air is in ongoing contact with our funded entities to see what we can do to help get them back on their feet and flourishing.
We have also just launched our long-awaited new music funding scheme MakingTracks. Applications opened online at the start of June and are already steadily coming in. The scheme reflects our focus to encourage more diversity in music for New Zealand audiences, concentrating on single tracks. We're really pleased with the positive feedback and grateful to all those who provided help with developing the scheme. There's more about music below.
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The June funding decisions are at the end of this newsletter - it was a tough round given the very limited funds remaining at this, the end of our financial year. Nonetheless we are proud to support a remarkably diverse array of successful applications intended to delight a wide range of New Zealand audiences. Investment decisions include renewed support for several regional TV news and information programmes; a renewal for NZ On Screen which continues to go from strength to strength, enabling easy access to a quirky, intelligent and now comprehensive range of NZ screen heritage for online audiences. We are delighted to welcome Niu FM to our stable of funded broadcasters and look forward to working with the Trust and management to continue our support for content especially for Pacific audiences in New Zealand. |
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And we are also proud to give the green light to a second season of popular TV drama The Almighty Johnsons.
Congratulations are also well deserved for the gong recipients from our sector in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours List. They include Jason Kerrison, Paul Ellis, Nonnita Rees, Bill Sheat, Tino Pereira and Sir James Wallace.
Finally we were pleased to retain our baseline funding in this year's Budget and we are very grateful to the Minister of Broadcasting and his colleagues for this support.
Jane.
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NZ On Air's new music funding scheme, MakingTracks has opened for business.
MakingTracks is a singles-based funding scheme, providing grants for recording a single track coupled with funding to make a music video to back up the release of the song. Grants of up to $10,000 per project will be available - up to $4,000 for recording the song and $6,000 for the video (or $6,000 for the video alone).
MakingTracks replaces the ten-year old Album funding scheme and the New Recording Artist scheme and absorbs the popular Music Video funding scheme, which has been part of NZ On Air's music portfolio since 1991.
The first MakingTracks funding round closes on 1 July and thereafter, we will take applications on the first day of every calendar month apart from January and December. A rotating panel of 6-8 broadcasting and music professionals will evaluate the applications and make funding recommendations. Decisions will be announced at the end of each calendar month.
We will fund at least 200 MakingTracks projects a year - 200 recording projects and 200 music videos - although, in this first year, the budget has been boosted by a one-off $500,000 to enable us to support 250 projects. In this first year we're hoping 60% of the songs will be aimed at commercial radio and 40% for other platforms.
"Pretty much everything NZ On Air does in the music space will change over the next 12 months", says NZ Music Manager, Brendan Smyth.
"The NZ On Air music programme will still be about connecting great songs with the audience via the broadcast media - radio, music television and online. But if the last 20 years of our music work has been dominated by the campaign to infiltrate commercial radio, the next 20 years will be about greater diversity, both in terms of the music we fund and broadcast platforms."
"From now on, it won't just be about commercial music for commercial radio."
"We are really excited by MakingTracks. It is very liberating. We feel like we have licence to roam more widely."
"Not that we will let up on commercial radio. Building on the success of the past 20 years and growing the 20% kiwi music content remains core. In fact, the number of songs we will fund for commercial radio will increase. But we will supplement that investment with a greater investment in music that will find its audience via other platforms - alternative radio and online - and that will increase diversity."
Full details of the new scheme, including the new online application facility, can be found at www.kiwihits.co.nz.
NZ On Air has provided funding for a new 22-part radio documentary series called Extended Play, charting the story of the iconic Christchurch record label, Flying Nun, through 22 of the label's seminal EP releases in the 1980s.
The series is being made by Auckland student radio station, 95bFM, and will play on the student radio network and online via podcast.
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The annual Pacific Music Awards were held at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Manukau City at the end of May. NZ On Air-funded artists and projects were prominent amongst the winners - * Nesian Mystik won four awards (Best Pacific Group, Best Pacific Song, Best Pacific Music Album and People's Choice) * Vince Harder won Best Pacific Male Artist * Ladi6 won Best Pacific Female Artist and Best Pacific Urban Artist * J Williams won the Radio Airplay Award. |
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The biggest New Zealand song on New Zealand radio at the moment is Like Water by Ladi6 (Kiwi Hit Disc 134). Ex-pat Stan Walker is #2 with Loud (Kiwi Hit Disc 137). Love Love Love by Avalanche City (Kiwi Hit Disc 133) is holding on at #3 and Show Me The Right Way by Annabel Fay (Kiwi Hit Disc 135) is at #4. The Annabel Fay and Ladi6 songs are from NZ On Air-funded albums and Avalanche City is backed by an NZ On Air-funded music video.
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New Zealand music continues to make its mark on the airwaves overseas.
Young Blood is holding steady in the Top 20 Alternative Radio Airplay Charts in the US for The Naked & Famous.
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And Campbell Smith writes of Brooke Fraser - "We can't get Something In The Water off of the Radio 2 A list in the UK … 8 weeks and counting. Top 10 in Ireland. It has just smashed into the Top 20 All Airplay in Germany (that is a big one), Austria and Switzerland. Poland has it in a listener Top 10. We are about to service it in Scandinavia, France and BeNeLux. Italy, after 4 months of Something In The Water in the Top 5, has just gone with Betty. It's been added across days straight away." At the end of May, Something In The Water was a Top 10 selling single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and it was #3 all airplay in Germany. |
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And Rebecca Caughey writes about arriving in Germany with Ladi6 -
"There is so much love for NZ music over here and a lot of NZ music on the radio. When we first arrived and got picked up from the airport, The Phoenix Foundation was playing on the radio. Then turning the radio on for the first time in our flat and it's Brooke Fraser. Going to our first show and The Black Seeds are on the radio. Then Ladi being on all the McDonalds and Burger King channels on high rotation along with Brooke and J Williams."
NZ On Air is contributing to airplay campaigns by The Naked & Famous in America, Brooke Fraser in Europe and Ladi6 in Australia.
From 1 July, full funding responsibility for the National Pacific Radio Trust (NPRT) passes to NZ On Air. NPRT operates Niu FM and 531pi, broadcasting pan-Pacific programming in English, a Pacific news service, and 74 hours per week of programming in Pacific languages. We've approved operating funding of $3,250,000 for the 2011/12 financial year and up to $725,000 to assist the network's shift of premises from Ponsonby to Manukau later this year.
We've also approved annual funding for Wellington-based Samoa Capital Radio ($186,848), and the Radio Reading Service in Levin ($110,348).
For commercial radio audiences, we've agreed to support a range of special interest programmes. They include series of various types that our Act prioritises, including Spiritual, Children's, Mäori programmes in English, and Ethnic programmes. See the funding list below.
And we're also serving regional television audiences from the community broadcasting patch. This round has confirmed funding for news and local information series in eleven regions, from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
From 2012, regional television programme annual applications will be considered at the August meeting of NZ On Air.
Sound Archives/Ngä Taonga Körero Accessions Registers scanning project
Sometimes the small things are very important. Since Sound Archives began the task of archiving all radio in 1997, it has kept written registers for its Accessions (donations), as they came into the archive. There are four registers in total dating 1997-2010 (when the process became electronic).
The registers were identified as high priority items and have been salvaged from Radio New Zealand House, which is still inaccessible following the 22 February earthquake. They will be central to the task of sorting the archive material which SA/NTK aims to retrieve from the premises in June.
NZ On Air was able to make a small grant of $3500 for electronic scanning of the registers to import the information into the electronic catalogue system, and provide the opportunity for multiple electronic back-ups.
This small but important project was a fitting one for NZ On Air, which has funded the Accessions programme since the inception of the registers.
Like many other Christchurch heritage and archival institutions, SA/NTK has a big task ahead of them and the right tools will help them to get there.
Since 2008, NZ On Air has funded a fifteen minute radio programme on Radio Live called The Asian Radio Show. This magazine style show is aimed at a cross section of listeners looking to discover more about cultural differences and similarities. There are two segments:
(a) A report or story about an interesting local issue or a New Zealand related issue from Asia.
(b) A panel discussion or an interview on a topic relevant to Asians in New Zealand.
The Asian Radio Show has told many stories from across New Zealand and overseas as well as broadcast interviews across a wide spectrum.
Stories have ranged from the serious to the humorous.
Now, with increased funding support from NZ On Air, The Asian Radio Show is expanding to a thirty minute format (we'll have a new title soon) and will take in content from West Asia and North Africa. NZ On Air congratulates programme producers Holy Cow Media and the downlowconcept, and broadcaster Radio Live, for extending the range of voices heard on commercial radio.
The June round focused mainly on the Digital Content Partnership and Maori Innovation funds as we approach the end of the financial year.
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From the contestable fund a second series of The Almighty Johnsons ($6.9m) received support for TV3. This series did well in its debut season taking on the unenviable job of replacing the much loved Outrageous Fortune on TV3. We are assured there are many more twists and turns for the Johnson brothers in series 2. |
Funding of $2.4m for Captioning and Audio Description in 2011/12, which serve the hearing and sight disabled communities watching TVNZ and TV3, was also confirmed.
Applications for the Maori Innovation Fund were also considered at this meeting. There were a total of seven applications and these were of a high standard. The Board chose a potential series that has a high level of innovation likely to attract a mainstream audience. This project needs some further development before production funding is confirmed and NZ On Air has provided a small amount of funding to enable this development work to be completed. If and when the project is green lit, we'll announce the details then.
A full list of funding decision for this round can be found here.
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Congratulations go out to What Now which is celebrating 30 years on New Zealand television with a Birthday Party show on 24 July. Nine former presenters will be guests on the show and further 21 will appear in taped items for the programme.
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We invested in The Grand Plan in June 2009. The series, planned for screening on Prime, would have shown the restoration and structural upgrade of the historic Provincial Hotel in Christchurch.
Unfortunately while the September earthquake caused delays to the project, the February quake caused significant damage and led to the building having to be demolished.
We have now given The Grand Plan team the green light to use already allocated funding to take the project in a new direction.
The producers will make a shortened series which will look at the intended renovations, the earthquake and demolition of the building, with the new focus of recovery and rebuilding a business.
Congratulations to Pietra Brett-Kelly and Kim Webby for their documentary October 15th winning the Mana Wairoa Festival Prize for best overall entry at the Wairoa Māori Film Festival.
Also Kaitangata Twitch and This Is Not My Life are joint winners in the Best Dramatic Presentation category of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards which are presented each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand in conjunction with the annual National Science Fiction Convention.
Our Business Affairs Executive, Amy Bardsley, has resigned. That's the bad news. The good news is that Benedict Reid, our current Funding Coordinator, is stepping up to the new position of Television Contracts Executive. We are currently in the process of finding a replacement person for Ben's old job. During the transition period we are fortunate to have Amy assisting us for a couple of days a week.
From 27 June any queries relating to contracting should be directed to Benedict in the first instance - benedict@nzonair.govt.nz
Forty-three applications were received for the fourth year of the DCPF. Once again these proposals covered a wide range of content for delivery across multiple platforms. With the standard of applications being high there were many more good applications than we could support in this round.
In assessing the applications the Board looked for proposals that particularly complemented our current local content funding activities, while at the same time providing innovative New Zealand content in the online space for significant audiences.
The list of successful proposals can be found here.
A review of DCPF over the last four years will be conducted in early 2012.
Television Funding Decisions |
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Genre |
Programme |
Total Amount Approved |
No. Of Episodes |
Length of Episodes (minutes) |
Production Company |
Channel |
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Special Interest |
TVNZ & TV3 CAPTIONING & AUDIO DESCRIPTION 2011/12 |
2,400,000 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Television New Zealand |
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Special Interest |
TV3 CAPTIONING CAPITAL UPGRADE |
220,000 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
TVWorks |
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Arts/Culture |
2011 NZ FILM & TELEVISION AWARDS |
Up to 141,183 |
1.0 |
90.0 |
TVWorks |
TV3 |
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Documentary |
* ICE CAPTAIN (additional) |
100,000 |
1.0 |
90.0 |
Making Movies |
TV One |
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Documentary |
A SHOCKING REMINDER (additional) |
184,023 |
1.0 |
120.0 |
Paua Productions |
Prime |
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Drama |
THE ALMIGHTY JOHNSONS 2 |
6,900,000 |
13.0 |
60.0 |
South Pacific Pictures |
TV3 |
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*This programme was supported by the NZ On Air Platinum Fund
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Radio Funding Decisions |
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Funding Type |
Genre |
Description |
Total Amount Approved |
No. Of Episodes |
Length of Episodes (minutes) |
Channel |
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Radio New Zealand |
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Radio NZ 2011/12 |
31,816,000 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
bFM 2011/12 |
180,000 |
50.0 |
135.0 |
95bFM |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
Extended Play |
69,300 |
22.0 |
60.0 |
95bFM |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
Kiwi FM - Radio Shows 2011/12 |
300,000 |
40.0 |
990.0 |
Kiwi FM |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
Radio Active 2011/12 |
100,000 |
50.0 |
240.0 |
Radio Active |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
Radio Control 2011/12 |
55,000 |
50.0 |
240.0 |
Radio Control |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
Radio One 2011/12 |
75,000 |
50.0 |
160.0 |
Radio One |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
RDU 2011/12 |
90,000 |
50.0 |
240.0 |
RDU 98.5FM |
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NZ Music Programmes |
Music |
RDU music series |
Up to 50,000 |
tbc |
tbc |
RDU 98.5FM |
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Radio Programme Production |
Children |
The Great Big Kids' Show 4 |
121,055 |
53.0 |
60.0 |
One Double X |
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Radio Programme Production |
Special Interest |
Paakiwaha 2011-12 |
75,000 |
48.0 |
120.0 |
Radio Waatea 603AM |
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Radio Programme Production |
Special Interest |
Real Life 2011-12 |
12,000 |
48.0 |
60.0 |
NewstalkZB |
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Radio Programme Production |
Special Interest |
Scrubcutter 2011-12 |
70,000 |
240.0 |
1.5 |
NewstalkZB |
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Radio Programme Production |
Special Interest |
The New Radio Show 2011-12 |
141,350 |
50.0 |
30.0 |
Radio Live Network |
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One-off Capital grant |
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RDU - mobile broadcast studio project |
Up to 15,000 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
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Regional Television Programmes Funding DecisionsJuly 2011 - August 2011 |
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Genre |
Programme |
Total Amount Approved |
No. Of Episodes |
Length of Episodes (minutes) |
Channel |
|
News / Current Affairs |
9 Local News 2011-12 |
198,333 |
336.0 |
30.0 |
Channel 9 Dunedin TV |
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News / Current Affairs |
Central News 2011-12 |
180,833 |
280.0 |
30.0 |
TV Central |
|
News / Current Affairs |
Channel North News 2011-12 |
102,083 |
256.0 |
15.0 |
Channel North |
|
News / Current Affairs |
Chatroom 2011-12 |
99,167 |
161.0 |
30.0 |
Television Hawkes Bay |
|
News / Current Affairs |
City News - Rotorua 2011-12 |
128,333 |
240.0 |
30.0 |
TV Rotorua |
|
News / Current Affairs |
CTV News 2011-12 |
221,667 |
292.0 |
24.0 |
Canterbury Television |
|
News / Current Affairs |
Far North News 2011-12 |
43,747 |
1680.0 |
5.0 |
Te Hiku Media |
|
News / Current Affairs |
Mainland Local News 2011-12 |
95,000 |
270.0 |
15.0 |
Mainland Television |
|
News / Current Affairs |
South Today 2011-12 |
198,333 |
265.0 |
24.0 |
Cue TV |
|
News / Current Affairs |
Tonight at 7 2011-12 |
350,000 |
280.0 |
30.0 |
Triangle Television |
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News / Current Affairs |
Undercurrent 2011-12 |
99,167 |
56.0 |
60.0 |
Tararua Television |
Music Funding Decisions |
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Funding Type |
Artist - Project |
Total Amount Approved |
|
Production Company |
|
NZ Music International |
Avalanche City - US |
Up to 20,000 |
|
Let The People Speak Entertainment |
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NZ Music International |
David Dallas, PNC, House Of Shem, Computers Want Me Dead & Motocade - Australia |
Up to 12,750 |
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Frequency Media Group |
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NZ Music Videos |
4DG feat PNC - Get Away City |
5,000 |
|
For Da Grind |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Adeaze - Rise & Shine |
5,000 |
|
Str8 Up Music |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Andrew Keoghan - Bright Idea |
5,000 |
|
Brave Beluga Records |
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NZ Music Videos |
Anna Coddington - Little Island |
5,000 |
|
Tea Set Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Annabel Fay - Already Home |
5,000 |
|
Siren Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Annah Mac - Celia |
5,000 |
|
Sony Music |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Artisan Guns - Heights |
5,000 |
|
EMI Music NZ |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Avalanche City - The Streets |
5,000 |
|
Avalanche City |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Black River Drive - Down By The River |
5,000 |
|
Black River Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Blacklist - From The Blind Spot |
5,000 |
|
Siren Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Brooke Fraser - Ice On Her Lashes |
5,000 |
|
Sony Music |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Bulletproof feat Hollie Smith - If You Fall |
5,000 |
|
Bulletproof Music |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Cut Off Your Hands - You Should Do Better |
5,000 |
|
Isaac Promotions |
|
NZ Music Videos |
David Dallas - Take A Picture |
5,000 |
|
Dirty Management |
|
NZ Music Videos |
DJ CXL feat Young Sid etc - Let's Just Celebrate |
5,000 |
|
Illegal Musik |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Home Brew - Basketball Court |
5,000 |
|
Home Brew Crew |
|
NZ Music Videos |
I Am Giant - And We'll Defy |
5,000 |
|
Giant Sounds |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Jonny Love - If You're Gonna Kill Me, I Hope You.. |
5,000 |
|
Limelight Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Katchafire - Lead Us |
5,000 |
|
EMI Music NZ |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Kidz In Space - Number One |
5,000 |
|
Move The Crowd |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Lisa Crawley - Blind Eyes |
5,000 |
|
LTPS Management |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Luger Boa - Downtown |
5,000 |
|
Stuka Records |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Massad - Forget About Me |
5,000 |
|
Massadmusic |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Ria - Over You |
5,000 |
|
M4U |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Ruby Frost - Come To Life |
5,000 |
|
Universal Music NZ |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Savage - This Is Me feat Devolo |
5,000 |
|
Dawn Raid Music |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Scratch 22 - Medicine Man |
5,000 |
|
Round Trip Mars |
|
NZ Music Videos |
The Adults - A Part Of Me |
5,000 |
|
Warner Music New Zealand |
|
NZ Music Videos |
The Jury & The Saints - Daydreams |
5,000 |
|
The Jury & The Saints |
|
NZ Music Videos |
The Naked and Famous - No Way |
5,000 |
|
Somewhat Damaged |
|
NZ Music Videos |
The Thomas Oliver Band - Bad Talkin' Man |
5,000 |
|
The T.O.B. |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Tiki Taane - Come Fly With Me |
5,000 |
|
Dirty Dub |
|
NZ Music Videos |
Zowie - Smash It |
5,000 |
|
Parallel Management |
NZ On Air Special Interest Radio Funding Decisions2011-12 |
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Funding Type |
Region |
Station |
Total Amount Approved |
|
Special Interest Radio |
Auckland |
NPRT - Niu FM & 531pi 2011-12 |
3,250,000 |
|
Capital grant |
Auckland |
National Pacific Radio Trust |
Up to 725,000 |
|
Special Interest Radio |
Lower North Island |
Samoa Capital Radio 2011-12 |
180,000 |
|
Capital grant |
Lower North Island |
Samoa Capital Radio |
6,848 |
|
Special Interest Radio |
Lower North Island |
Print Disabled Radio 2011-12 |
110,348 |
Archives Funding Decisions |
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|
Project |
Total Amount Approved |
|
Production Company |
|
RNZ Sound Archives 2011/12 |
614,055 |
|
Sound Archives Nga Taonga Korero |
|
Accessions Registers Scanning Project |
Up to 3,500 |
|
Sound Archives Nga Taonga Korero |
Digital Funding Decisions |
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|
Project |
Total Amount Approved |
|
Production Company |
|
NZ ON SCREEN YEAR 4 2011-12
|
999,680 |
|
NZ On Screen Trust |
|
AUCKLAND DAZE |
356,520 |
|
Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions |
|
MAKE MY MOVIE |
129,000 |
|
2Brothers |
|
MUSIC MANAGER |
287,460 |
|
InGame |
|
THE BIG SING 2011 |
20,550 |
|
R J Naylor |
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