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Kia ora and welcome to a special Newsletter extra.

Given we had a few announcements to make I thought we should get in touch and let you know what we're up to.

We've got a busy time on our hands calling for a new Community Diversity TV series as part of our Special Interest audience programming.

We also have details of some financial assistance available to help regional television broadcasters make the switch to digital, and there are a number of staff changes I'd like to share with you.

Keep warm,

Jane

NZ On Air is seeking proposals for a new television series to reflect and celebrate the growing cultural diversity of New Zealand's population. We are interested in new ideas for exploring the stories of the increasingly diverse communities living in New Zealand - including both recent and more well established groups.

We are hoping for a series of at least 35 half-hour episodes telling meaningful stories for specific communities while also appealing to other New Zealanders.

We expect the series will have a budget of up to $1,400,000.

As usual you'll need a broadcaster's commitment.

More details of what we're looking for can be found here.

Regional television broadcasters can now apply for up to $70,000 plus GST for help with moving from analogue to digital broadcasting. Digital Switch Over Assistance will be available until 30 June 2013.

The NZ On Air Board will consider applications and make decisions twice yearly, beginning in October 2011. The deadline for having an application considered at that meeting is Friday 26 August.

Further information can be found on our website here.

Watch out for Nothing Trivial coming soon to TV One.

The new drama comedy comes from two of the country's most successful TV writers - Rachel Lang and Gavin Strawhan and makes up the trifecta for drama series this year, hot on the heels of Go Girls and The Almighty Johnsons.

The series is based around a pub quiz team of five friends with one thing in common - each is unlucky or unhappy in love.

For more details about the series please see here.

Congratulations go to Richard Naylor, first time applicant and producer of the modest Digital Content Partnership Fund project The Big Sing 2011.

Richard is also an internet pioneer and is the winner of the inaugural InternetNZ Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more details please see here.

NZ On Air has had a busy month recruiting for various staff positions.

In our NZ Music Promotions office in Auckland, we've filled the three new jobs advertised in April. Mike McClung has been appointed as Broadcast Promotions Executive, managing radio and music television promotions and strategy, both in New Zealand and in Australia.

Tania Dean has accepted the Repertoire Executive position leading the liaison with repertoire-owners, sourcing songs for the Kiwi Hit Disc, making the Kiwi Hit Disc and managing the digital delivery of songs to radio. Both will be known to you through their previous contracting work with NZ On Air as well as their music and radio industry backgrounds.

The one-year contract to develop the music team's digital strategy has been filled by Jubt Avery. Jubt comes to NZ On Air from Musiwave where he has been the Content Marketing Manager looking after Vodafone's music store and developing music promotions. He has also worked for Vodafone, here and in the UK, and for XtraMSN, New Zealand independent music website amplifier.co.nz, and Auckland student radio station, 95bFM. He has a Graduate Diploma in Multimedia from AUT.

And in Wellington we're delighted to welcome Fiona Mulder as our new Television Funding Coordinator replacing Benedict Reid who, as of this week, is our TV Contracts Executive. Many of you will know Fiona from her current role as Executive Assistant to the NZ Film Commission's CEO. Fiona holds an MA with Distinction in Film and Media Studies and will be starting with us in late July.

Our Chief Financial Officer Wayne Verhoeven has resigned to take up a role at the Families Commission after four years with us. He will be missed in the office and we wish him all the best in his new role. We are now recruiting and hope to be able to make an announcement next month.