The beginning of a new year is always an appropriate time to take stock and evaluate what lies ahead. Our team has been thinking deeply about our response to ongoing system challenges and opportunities as well as how we can best support and align with the Government's Amplify strategy for the arts and culture sector. This thinking has been crystallised in a new strategic framework that acknowledges our traditional role of enabling the creation and discovery of content for audiences but also suggests a greater focus on developing the people that make that content and assisting them to grow connections and finance to elevate the quality and ambition of that content.
This new strategic framework is captured in an updated Statement of Intent which will be published in June, alongside our Statement of Performance Expectations for the 2026/27 year. Once published we look forward to working with you on how we operationalise it in a manner that delivers value and benefit.
We are also very conscious of two other themes that are affecting our sector. The first is generative AI. Our staff is upskilling on AI, looking for ways to optimise its use to create more efficiencies in a lean organisation and looking at what that means for our current and future work. We also hope that you will keep us informed about how its use across the whole production ecosystem is changing your work. We are aware that there are obvious opportunities and risks and we continue to monitor what other markets are doing to provide scaffolding around use. This is obviously an evolving area and we expect to refine our AI policies as our knowledge and the tools available evolve.
The second is the current rising cost of fuel and flow on impacts. We are watching developments and have developed a fuel response plan for the agency, based on the Government's stepped response plan. No doubt you are monitoring developments and we trust that any production that believes they will be materially impacted will connect with us as early as possible. We do not expect to receive any new funds to mitigate cost increases.
Our first funding round of the calendar year was once again hotly contested with requests for funding close to $52m with $20m available. There's a mix of high performing returning series and exciting new content in the screen approvals, and fan favourites in the music approvals. I congratulate all of the successful applicants. As is increasingly the case, there were many amazing applications that we simply could not afford to fund and our commiserations go to those that were not successful in this round. Our team is available to chat to anyone that wishes to discuss their submission.
Ngā mihi
Cameron Harland, Chief Executive | Tumu Whakarae
